Strength of Spirit
by Dusk Ado
Summary: A crossover never before seen! A Necromancer and a Rogue from Diablo find themselves thrown into the Negima universe. How will they survive in a world they don't entirely understand? Asuna x Negi other pairings later
1. Uncertain Paths, Unstable Powers

A.N. So, I've been inactive for almost a year…I think. I've been busy and haven't had time to update my fanfics to the point that I've lost my original storylines. So, I've decided to start a very strange fanfiction; a Diablo/Mahou Sensei Negima crossover. DON'T exit out yet, I have my reasons at the bottom of this very long chapter. So here we go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Diablo or the game's plot or universe, they are owned by Blizzard Entertainment (as are WOW and Starcraft.) I don't own the Negima Universe or any of the canon characters. I do own my characters and some of my personally crafted spells.

Strength of Spirit

Chapter 1 (Diablo Universe)

Uncertain Paths, Unstable Powers

The sun rose over the Rogue Encampment, casting its glow across the great plains. The camp bustled as the Rogues on guard duty traded places with the morning watchers. Dozens more rogues stood in an orderly line and fired consistently at various targets across the range. Several figures convened around the fire.

"By the Great Eye, I'm bored!" Moaned one of the rogue guards, "What the hell are we expecting to find here? Some red goblins and quill rats, that's all that we ever get! They're no threat to us!"

Her partner sighed.

"Hannah, we don't know for sure if anything else may be out there. You know that Flavie has reported more demons than normal have been sighted on the Blood Moor. They've been gathering in that cave across the way."

"We don't know what their plans are" Hannah argued, "They might not be after us"

"My lady," both rogues jumped as the brown haired paladin Triam walked up to them. "Surely we are the only force of light that remains in this corrupted place, we must prepare for the worst at all times."

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right" the druid Mernic said, following Triam out into the blood moor.

"Wait!" Hannah shouted in panic, "Where are you going?"

"My lady, we are going to vanquish those foul demons who have occupied this Den of Evil." Triam's ally and trusted friend, Ursa called as he and the barbarian Ornlu joined the group of travelers.

Hannah watched as the group of four men marched off into the distance. Then she began plucking at her bowstring idly. Yep, definitely a boring day.

"Hey, Triam! Was it really necessary that all four of us come on this mission? Ornlu and I could have easily cleared out the den ourselves"

Triam turned from the path and looked back to Mernic.

"I though that we might offer our assistance, with the four of us we should empty the den in half the time. Besides, we must cleanse the evil from this cave lest it become forever tainted."

"I see your reasoning, but-"

"Monsters!" Growled Ornlu, "Fightin' now, talkin' later!"

All heads turned to Ornlu as he pointed to a group of eight walking corpses that meandered about the moor in confusion. To the untrained eye, they appeared to simply be zombies, but Triam's keen senses alerted him of a strange energy that surrounded the bodies.

"They have some sort of special power" Triam said as the zombies suddenly gained interest in something that the group could not see. As Triam and Ursa began to debate about the most likely source, the group of zombies shambled off in the direction of the river.

"Arr! Paladins, let's figure their power out later." Ornlu grumbled, "righ' now they're getting away!" All four warriors shared a moment of sheepishness, before Ornlu charged towards the zombie group. A startled cry came from the river shore, galvening the others into action.

A medium heighted man, covered in blood, stood alone before an army of Fallen. In his hand he gripped a simple sword. At his feet lay a rogue girl, injured and unconscious. Steel clashed and flesh ripped as the man fought desperately against the demons, unaware of the approaching threat.

"Look out!" Ornlu roared as a shaman cast a fireball at the warrior. The man managed to move aside, cleaving apart two foes in the process. He stared angrily at the shaman and hurled his blade at him. Ornlu laughed at the warrior's stupidity; even though he had just deprived the shaman of his throat he had lost his only weapon. The barbarian loosed a fierce war cry and leaped directly into the fray.

Several seconds later, Triam plowed into the demonic company's flank, scattering two fallen with his shield. Mernic and Ursa drew weapons and clashed with the zombies. In short order the three men disposed of the remaining fallen demons, after which the bloody man collapsed to his knees. The paladin rushed to his side.

"He's injured!" Triam called back to Ornlu, "Go help the others! I'll take care of these two!"

Ornlu grinned bloodily and charged towards the other battlefield where Mernic and Ursa still battled with the zombies. Triam walked towards the two fallen figures, healing powers at the ready. He gaped as the man pushed himself to his feet, despite his horrific wounds, and staggered over to the slain shaman.

"Stop, let me heal you!" Triam said. The man shook his head and pulled his sword from the shaman's throat with a sickening squelch.

"Heal….rogue…first" He gasped. Then he doubled over and coughed up blood. "She's…hurt much worse."

Triam looked worried, but obeyed the man and bent over the rogue's prone form. His eyes widened as his healing powers revealed the extent of her injuries. A major gash up the side of the rogue's left arm bled profusely while another wound oozed blood around the jagged sword that had impaled itself in her stomach. The entire scope of her injuries, Triam knew, exceeded his abilities.

Gritting his teeth, Triam began praying, appealing to the heavens to heal the rogue's injuries. The wound on the rogue's arm slowly closed, too slowly. After a minute Triam realized that he couldn't heal her in time when a light red mist passed before his eyes. At first Triam thought he had imagined it, but then he noticed that the haze was being absorbed into the rogue's body, and that the speed of her healing had increased. The wounds closed in a short amount of time, far quicker than Triam had thought possible.

"Sorry for interrupting," The man said conversationally. Triam jumped as the man, now uninjured and clean of blood, knelt next to him with his hands held above the rogue. His white hair flowed behind him in the light wind and red mist issued from his hands. The man continued, "You were taking too long, Master Paladin. I thought I might aid you."

Triam gaped, "You-you're a necromancer!" The man smiled sheepishly.

"Guilty as charged" he sighed. Then he growled over his shoulder, "Damnit! Don't linger around those corpses, head for the ones that still have blood!" Triam looked over his shoulder and paled. A crimson homunculus towered over the slain demons. As the paladin watched, the creature plucked up a fallen and bit down on it. After a moment, it spit the demon out and moved on to the next one. Blood on the ground seemed drawn to the beast as it proceeded to suck the life blood from the demon corpses.

"What are you doing?" Triam asked, regarding the bloody golem with disgust. The man laughed before replying.

"Healing the rogue. I'm using a curse known as Life Tap; it drains the life energy from one being and transfers it to another. Normally Necromancers use it to steal life from their foes, but I'm using it in reverse and transferring my own life force to her. That's where the golem comes in; he's draining the blood from the dead demons and transferring their remaining life energy to me. Essentially, I've turned one of my curses and summons into a quick healing power." The necromancer's eyes narrowed slightly, and he clenched on of his hands while drawing a small dagger with the other.

Triam's sword was at his throat in an instant. The necromancer tensed and said, "I'm not about to kill her" Suddenly the rogue began moaning and thrashing around violently.

"I find that hard to believe" Triam said dryly. He drew back his sword in preparation to swing.

"She's been poisoned!" The Necromancer protested, "If you kill me, she won't survive! I contained the poison into her arm, but I can't force it out, so I have to extract the tainted blood."

Before Triam could even blink, the necromancer had sliced a small chunk off of the rogue's arm and clasped his other hand to the wound. After a moment of intense concentration, the necromancer withdrew his hand and a sizable floating sphere of blood laced with traces of purple and green. With a grimace, he drew out a small glass phial from his robe and siphoned off the green liquid into it. He repeated the process with the purple liquid. Then he pulled out from his pocket a small glass bottle filled with red liquid, a healing potion.

The necromancer forced open the rogue's mouth and poured the liquid in. The rogue's eyes flew open as she swallowed the liquid. "Easy now" cautioned the white haired man, "You've suffered some serious injuries and shouldn't exert yourself." She ignored him and pulled herself to her feet.

"Hey Triam!" Ornlu roared, "If you're done healing them, we need help!" The three people looked on in horror as Mernic was lifted off his feet by a zombie and hurled through the air with astonishing speed. Triam felt a surge of energy run through him and ran. He ran faster than he'd ever run before, feet nearly flying across the ground. Even so, he arrived only just in time to drop his sword and shield and barely catch the falling druid.

"Thanks" Mernic groaned as Triam set him down, "I owe you…how many now?"

"If I kept track, it may have been…five?" Triam said with a smile, "But that doesn't matter now; how did they do that?"

Mernic's face grew grim, "We discovered their powers the hard way. Ursa believes that those damned undead have some sort of Fanaticism driving them; they're too strong and too fast!"

Steel ripped through flesh as the necromancer entered the fray head-on. Ornlu couldn't help but admire the man for his bravery.

But not his strength, Ornlu smirked as the man took a punch to the gut and went flying. The barbarian bellowed in indignation as two zombies jointly struck him, and he found himself following the necromancer's example.

Ursa knelt amidst three zombies, kept alive only by the aura of sanctuary that he desperately struggled to maintain. One of the zombies moaned and shambled towards him, only to slide back across the ground as the aura repelled him. A drop of sweat rolled down Ursa's brow and the circle of energy contracted marginally.

"For Zakarum! For God! For Salvation!" Triam roared before charging to aid his fellow paladin.

A great fury enveloped Ursa as one of the zombies brought Triam's charge to a stop with a single hand. Triam's shield caved in around the zombie's hand, locking him into point-blank combat with the monstrosity. Just as the zombie drew back his arm for a final blow, it found itself missing an arm and a leg as Ursa hacked blindly at the nightmare that threatened his comrade in arms.

Ornlu drew a second axe from his belt and hurled it at the nearest zombie, splitting its skull. Then he, Mernic, and the necromancer with the rogue in tow forged towards the two paladins. A punch knocked Ornlu off his feet; in retaliation, the enraged fighter kicked out and broke the offending zombie's shin, causing it to fall.

"I'm just about fed up with you!" the necromancer shouted. He plunged his sword deep into the head of the zombie that had been trapped by Triam and Ursa. Then the necromancer knelt and slammed his hand into the ground. "Defending Circle Bone Prison!"

A horrible forest of bones erupted from the ground, resolving into a great circle that surrounded the group. The thicket of bone offered protection for the group, at least for the moment.

Ursa gaped, "Necromancer!"

"Guilty as charged" the man said, echoing his earlier response. "I hope you don't object to my…improvised defenses, but I'm a bit low on energy."

Ursa scowled and raised his sword.

"Ursa, don't!" Triam shouted.

The necromancer raised his own sword in time to deflect Ursa's initial strike, but Ursa bashed the necromancer with his shield. As he staggered backwards, the necromancer sliced his own hand with his blade and smeared his blood upon it. The sword absorbed the blood and black flames began burning on the steel of the blade. He pointed his blade at the paladin.

"I'm warning you, Ursa – if that's your name; I've got nothing against you, but if you persist in attacking me, you'll find yourself in dire need of new combat gear."

"For the glory of Zakarum!" Ursa roared, and stubbornly charged. The necromancer contemptuously cut through Ursa's sword when he parried. As the paladin recoiled in shock, the necromancer stepped forward and casually stabbed through Ursa's shield, through his arm, and through his body. Ursa's eyes widened in shock, Triam gave a shout of concern, Ornlu bellowed angrily, and Mernic's eyes narrowed in rage.

Black flames burned around the blade of the sword as the necromancer drew the sword horizontally out of Ursa's body, mangling his shield in the process. Triam was about to strike the necromancer down, when his mind registered the total lack of blood flowing from the stab area.

"He's not injured," the necromancer remarked as Ursa crashed to his knees. "If I ignite my blade I can prevent it from actively harming a human while damaging everything else. He'll be fine, his gear on the other hand…" He trailed off.

"Very clever," Mernic remarked, "But meanwhile, WE STILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THOSE ZOMBIES!"

"Maybe we're trying the wrong approach" the necromancer said thoughtfully, "Fighting them head on is suicide, we should try distance warfare. If the two paladins can provide some sort of protection, the rest of us can fight from a distance."

"I might not be able to fight, but I can identify some critical spots on them" the rogue offered.

"That would be appreciated." The necromancer said. "Now then, let's begin!" He raised his hands and dropped them, dispelling the wall of bone.

Triam scowled and called upon his sanctuary aura. After a moment, a bright circle of light extended from his position, far larger than Ursa's previous attempt. Ursa chanted a brief prayer and tendrils of fire began to lick the ground around his feet. Mernic noticed the Holy Fire spreading across the ground and shouted, "Eight spirits of Ral, I call upon thee! Race across the earth and consume mine enemies!" Three tendrils of raging fire burst from the ground at Mernic's feet and flowed towards the zombies, but Mernic wasn't done.

"Three spirits of Tir, lend me thine endless strength! Invoke staff TirRal!"

The fiery tendrils suddenly increased in size and intensity as they intercepted the zombies. Howling, three of the remaining five zombies burst into flames, but only one fell. The others redoubled their efforts to break through the aura.

"Five spirits of Thul, I call upon thee! Freeze mine foes with arctic winds!" A stream of ethereal blue fog roared across the battlefield, covering the zombies with a crusting of ice. A half dozen throwing axes embedded themselves into undead flesh, courtesy of Ornlu, but still they did not stop. Even the fires of Ursa's aura seemed to do nothing of notice.

"Not good!" Triam shouted as one of the zombies stepped into the circle. Instead of being repelled, the zombie projected an aura of its own and Triam gasped in shock as his sanctuary aura shattered.

"We're done for!" The rogue wailed. The necromancer cuffed her lightly across the head as he passed. "Calm down" he murmured, then shouted. "I didn't want to use this, but the enemy is too strong!" He raised his sword above his head and began casting a spell.

"Vex! Vex! Lo! Jah! Twenty-two spirits of Ral, I call upon thee! All things that oppose me turn to dust! Burn, Phoenix!"

Fire roared around the sword and the necromancer slashed downward. Upon striking the ground, the blade released a firestorm easily three times as large as Mernic's. In the blink of an eye, each of the remaining zombies burst into flames. And still they did not stop.

"It's not working!" The rogue shrieked.

"It WILL work!" Triam said, "It has to" Such fierce conviction burned in his eyes that a palpable chill ran through everyone present. As if his words held infinite power, the zombies began to moan in pain before keeling over, motionless.

"Amazin'! Tha's one hell of a firestorm!" Ornlu whistled, "You've got some competition Mernic!"

Mernic stalked angrily over to the necromancer and poked him in the chest. "How did you, a necromancer, learn how to cast a firestorm? Moreover, how did you cast one of such a high level? Who are you?!"

The necromancer sighed, "I'll explain, but we need to find some defensible position first. Suffice to say, that I'm not who I appear"

"Okay," the rogue said, "you can explain back at the Rogue Encampment."

Rogue Encampment

"By the Great Eye, I'm bored!" Hannah moaned

"My god; shut UP!" her partner screamed, her eyes bloodshot. "You've been saying that all day! We understand that you're bored, so STOP TELLING US!"

"People coming," Hannah said dully, "oh, joy…"

"It's the guys from before and… Cassandra!" the other rogue shouted. "They look like they walked through hell!"

"Oh, by the Eye!" Akara exclaimed, "This must mean that the den is cleansed!"

Rogues throughout the camp began cheering and congregating about the gate. Once the travelling group arrived, they found themselves beset by a horde of questions. Unable to answer them all, or even comprehend them angered Ornlu, who let out a shout of "QUIET!"

"I'm afraid we bring disappointing news. We have not cleared the den" Triam persisted through the startled exclamations of the rogues, "we were set upon by a group of undead that caused us a lot of trouble. We also ran into Lady Cassandra and this man while they were about to be overcome and slaughtered. These delays prevented us from reaching the den, for the damage sustained by some of us was disabling."

"I knew they weren't to be trusted!" Kashya shouted triumphantly, "Rogues! Tomorrow we move! We'll clear the Den of Evil, a feat that the 'great' warriors could not perform!" The captain of the rogues stalked off accompanied by most of the warriors.

Later, as the ragtag group sat around the fire, the necromancer leaned back and sighed.

"I suppose I should explain now" he said, "My name is Talus. I received instruction from several of the Priests of Rathma as a child, but that life wasn't for me. On my sixteenth summer, the priests expelled me from their order. Left with nowhere to go, I wandered across the land, desperately trying to survive. Along the way I acquired a variety of skills, but the branch that interested me the most was elemental magic. I sought out sages and elders, begged them to teach me, and began to rebuild my existence. In my nineteenth summer, my masters presented me with this sword, and charged me with finding runes of power with which to build my strength. I created the Phoenix, a fire based blade that forever changed my soul. I specialize in fire type magic and what few curses I learned while training with the priests. I can summon skeletons and undead but" he held up a hand to forestall any protests, "I've only done so when my life hung in the balance. I do not normally use any minions; I prefer to fight my own battles. That and they make me uncomfortable."

Everyone stared at Talus in silence. After a moment he looked around nervously.

"What?"

Mernic laughed, "That's a hard story to swallow. I mean really" he looked around the fire, "Who's ever heard of a necromancer who doesn't summon minions?"

"Not me, tha's fer sure" Ornlu laughed, "I'm not sure we can trust yer, but as long as ye fight with us an' not against us, I got no problem with yer."

"Nor do I have a problem with Talus," Cassandra stated, idly plucking her bowstring, "If it weren't for him and Triam; I wouldn't be here right now."

"I don't trust you either," Ursa stated, "And if you betray us, I'll be the one to strike you down."

"If you say so," Talus said wearily, "Just remember what happened last time." As he spoke, the fire flared up briefly and everyone could see the shape of a bird spreading its wings within the flames.

"While I have no problems with letting you accompany us, you do raise a question." Triam stood and began pacing slightly, "You said that you would rather not summon minions, so why did you summon a blood golem today?"

"I should have said that I dislike summoning undead minions," Talus clarified, "I've used different golems in order to protect myself before. They are my shield, quite literally in the case of iron golems. I obviously can't fight just any enemy that I want."

"Well, well," Ursa smirked, "I must say, I've never even thought I'd meet a necromancer that wasn't totally arrogant. Let's hope it stays like that."

Talus scowled, stood, and stormed off. Cassandra glared at Ursa before getting up and pursuing the necromancer. Triam looked over to Ursa, "That was unnecessary," he stated.

"Aye," Ornlu growled, "Wha's he done to yer?"

"We may not like him, but he's not proven himself untrustworthy," Mernic continued.

"He's a necromancer!" Ursa protested, "His entire order defiles the dead!"

"He has not done so yet" replied Triam, "Unless he does, reserve your judgment and stay your hand."

"Talus!" Cassandra cried out, hurrying after the necromancer, "Talus, wait!"

He turned and stared at the rogue dully. "Yes?" He intoned. "Is there something that you need?"

"I'm sorry about what Ursa said; he was totally out of line! I'm still grateful for you saving me; if you hadn't, I'd be dead or worse, corrupted."

"Thank you for your gratitude, Cassandra," Talus smiled, "But I believe that you're the only one in the group who feels that way."

"That's not true!" She exclaimed, "Even Triam spoke up for you after you left, your actions today probably saved our lives."

"Ursa doesn't approve of me, Triam does," Talus said, "I'm not about to start a feud between two paladins. There's no way that'd end well."

"Ursa can go get himself beaten down again for all I care!" Cassandra retorted, "Um, Talus? What's wrong?" Talus had gone as stiff as a board and his eyes widened in shock. After a moment he found his tongue.

"Is that man supposed to be sneaking into that caravan wagon with a large sack?"

Cassandra whirled around. True enough, the rotund merchant, Gheed, could easily be seen trying to sneak into one of Warriv's wagons. Cassandra hissed in contempt.

"No, he's not. That rat! He's been stealing other people's things to sell as his own! Talus, do something or I'll shoot him!"

"I'd be glad to," Talus replied, still sounding slightly nervous "But I do need both of my hands to work this spell." Cassandra looked down and squeaked as she realized that she was clasping one of the necromancer's hands tightly with her own. She let go, blushing lightly.

"Sorry" Cassandra muttered.

"No big deal," Talus said, then murmured, "Wait for it…wait for it…" Then he exclaimed "aha!" in delight, for Gheed had just resurfaced with a two handed sword and an elegant azure bladed dagger. Talus mumbled, "Hope Warriv forgives me for this" and held his hands out, projecting a small burst of energy through the air.

Gheed yelped in shock as the dagger he held began growing at an alarming rate. His shock changed to horror when he dropped the blade and it began to assume a semi-humanoid build. The iron golem turned to Gheed and growled, a horrible screeching sound, causing the "merchant" to scream in terror. As he turned to flee, Talus flicked his other hand slightly and blackness enveloped the merchant's vision. Gheed fled from the iron golem, crashing into wagons and rogues alike, the latter of which began firing arrows at the metal monstrosity that pursued the fat man with single-minded determination.

"We're under attack!" Warriv shouted as Gheed tripped and fell to the ground and lay there shivering. Rogues appeared from every corner of the camp, bows drawn, and began firing. The iron golem found itself the target of about fifty enraged and terrified rogues and snorted in disinterest as the arrows clattered harmlessly off its metal hide.

"At ease!" Talus shouted and cast a burst of energy at the golem, which stiffened, broke apart, and clattered to the ground. As the rogues sighed in relief, Gheed continued screaming, lamenting about his lost sight. The irritated necromancer snapped his fingers and the dark film over Gheed's eyes faded. "Well, Gheed," he said contemptuously, "You're lucky that it was Cassandra and I that caught you in the act of stealing. Had it been Warriv…you'd probably be dead, since you were stealing from him."

Kashya stormed up to Talus and grabbed the front of his robe. "What the hell were you thinking?! Who told you to take matters of our encampment into your own hands?"

"I did" Cassandra said indignantly, "If he hadn't dealt with Gheed, I would have. Permanently."

Kashya dropped Talus unceremoniously to the ground and stalked over to Cassandra instead. "It wasn't your place to decide his fate! You should have told Warriv and let him deal with it! You're still an apprentice, not even a rogue! No, I take that back, you're not even an apprentice. Now get out of this camp, girl!" And she struck Cassandra across her face harshly.

As she hit the ground, a wave of absolute rage and contempt washed over the rogues. Talus rose to his feet; his eyes flashing dangerously. The energy pressing down upon the group intensified as Talus walked over towards Kashya. "Get away from her" one of the rogues shouted, and fired an arrow at the necromancer. Talus' sword literally blazed into existence and deflected the arrow as Talus met the offending rogue's eyes. After a moment the girl collapsed, sweating profusely and frothing at the mouth.

"You would cast her into the wilderness during times like these? How could you do something like that, yet ignore something as despicable as petty theft? I'm disgusted, captain" and he laced the word with contempt, "If you think that I will respect your judgment after this; you're wrong. Kashya; I challenge you to single combat! Tomorrow, at sunrise, on the blood moor!"

Talus extended a hand to Cassandra, who pulled herself up. Then he whispered into her ear, upon which Cassandra nodded with tears streaming down her face. Talus' face hardened and he guided the distraught girl away. Kashya watched them go and sighed, that had been a rash mistake. Tomorrow she would have to beg for Cassandra's forgiveness.

"I'm sorry I caused that, Talus" Cassandra wept, "She was right; I should have just gone to Warriv, and now what will I do?"

"Well, since you've been banished from the rogues, first we'll get your things and pack them up." Talus said calmly, "And it isn't your fault; I shouldn't have gone overboard with the Iron Golem"

In short order, the two reached Cassandra's tent and quickly packed up her few belongings. Cassandra left there her short bow that Kashya had replaced and her quiver of arrows. When Talus commented about it, she simply said that the weapons were not hers and so she would not take them. After Cassandra shouldered her pack, Talus led her to the smithy, Charsi.

"What can I do for you…" Charsi's cheerful tone faded slightly as she noticed Cassandra, "I heard you were banished…unfortunately, customs rule that I can't sell you anything Cassandra. I'm sorry, in more ways than one."

"Well," Talus said conversationally, "Are you forbidden from selling anything to me? As far as I know, I can't be banished unless I lose my duel tomorrow."

"That's…true" Charsi said hesitantly.

"Then it's settled!" Talus practically chirped, "Cassandra; which weapon do you want?"

"But I can't-" Charsi protested

"Sell to her" Talus interrupted, "Now, if I purchase the weapon, there should be no problem, right?"

Understanding dawned in Charsi's eyes, and she smiled. "Of course, there is no problem."

"But-" Cassandra sputtered, "Talus, I can't let you do that! My current situation is not your fault!"

"Fine," Talus sighed, "Charsi, could you please give me that long sword on the wall with the missing pommel?"

"Sure, but I'll fix it first," the smith said, "I've been meaning to do that for a while now."

"Oh, there's no need" Talus said, "Its condition was the reason I picked it; it's just what I've been looking for."

"Alright" Charsi sighed, "That'll be four hundred fifty gold pieces."

"Done," Talus said, reaching into a pouch at his waist and withdrawing his hand after a moment. It was clear that whatever he held in his hand was not gold. Charsi gasped as Talus opened his hand and revealed a Sapphire, smooth and flawless, and placed it into her hand. Talus picked up the sword and turned to leave. "Keep the change"

Charsi could only stare in shock as the necromancer and former rogue apprentice walked away.

"Why did you do that?" Cassandra asked in frustration. "You could have bought twelve swords in perfect condition! You could have purchased one of Warriv's wagons!"

"What use would I have for a wagon?" Talus scoffed, "How would I carry a dozen swords?"

"You could use one of those metal things that you summoned earlier to carry them, or you could raise a skeleton or something!"

"I'd rather not have to worry about that. Oh, and speaking of the iron golem; I need to pay a visit to Warriv." On the way, they passed the mangled heap of iron that had once been a dagger. Talus snapped his fingers at it and the iron golem sprang back to life, quickly hurrying to its master's side.

Approaching the wagon, Talus turned and said, "Stay here for now." Cassandra stopped and watched as Talus took a few more steps, then called back, "I meant the golem, not you." Embarrassed, Cassandra hurried to catch up to Talus; arriving at Warriv's wagon just as he did.

"To what do I owe this visit?" Warriv asked in surprise as Talus and Cassandra approached.

"I came here to settle a debt" Talus said

"W-what kind of debt?" Warriv asked rather nervously. His eyes darted around.

"When Cassandra and I caught Gheed breaking into your wagon; I used one of your daggers and now wish to purchase it." Talus held out a pouch of gold coins and dropped it into Warriv's hand. The merchant weighed it carefully.

"This is too much for any of the daggers I had!" Warriv exclaimed, "Which one did you use?" Talus whistled, and the iron golem shambled out from behind the caravan.

"It's not which dagger, but how useful it was to me," Talus remarked, "I've been unable to create a golem of such quality from any dagger I've ever used before."

"Well, I appreciate your generosity, but this is really too much" Warriv said. "Is there anything I could get you? I've got some good travelling armor."

"A full set of woman's travelling clothes and two black robes then" Talus said.

Warriv gathered the requested items, sighed, and said, "You're lucky; judging by the weight of this bag, you had about fifty gold pieces to spare. That's a donation I can accept"

"Good doing business with you" Talus said, smiling broadly. As he walked away chuckling Warriv opened the pouch and shouted in astonishment when he saw a perfectly round ruby nestled in the gold coins. He looked up, but Talus was gone.

The next morning

"The single combat between Captain Kashya and Talus will now commence!" Announced Hannah, "The stakes are thus; if Talus loses, he is henceforth banished from our encampment."

"And if I win?" Talus asked, "What happens then?"

Kashya snorted, "Like that's ever going to happen"

"Begin!" Hannah shouted before leaping nimbly out of the staked combat area.

Kashya wasted no time in stringing her bow and firing two barbed arrows directly at Talus. The necromancer waited calmly until the arrows were almost upon him, then he stepped aside.

"Not good enough" he shouted mockingly, "I've seen Amazon children shoot better, captain"

The rogues collectively winced, and Hannah moaned, "Oh, he's so dead."

"I'll roast you alive!" Kashya shouted, firing an arrow that not only burst into flame, but split into a deadly arc of arrows. Talus sighed as the deadly wave approached, and ducked under it.

"I take it back!" Talus amended sarcastically, "You're much better than them…at missing!"

Kashya screamed in rage and launched arrow after arrow, some bursting into flames while others howled with arctic winds and still others splintered into arcs. Not a single arrow touched Talus who, in an astonishing display of agility, managed to dodge each and every arrow. "Fight back you coward!" the rogue captain goaded in frustration.

"Hey, I'm not the one who has lost control of her emotions like a little child," Talus quipped back, "I'd say that I'm winning here, captain!"

Kashya's eyes flashed and she suddenly and dramatically increased the speed and accuracy of her shots. Talus, caught by surprise, found himself unable to dodge all of the shots and took half a dozen shafts in his arm. He screamed in pain as he yanked out the arrows, each coated with flesh. He downed a healing potion and said, "Okay; now this is getting good!"

Talus' sword appeared in a burst of fire and he retrieved a buckler from its place on his back. Kashya's next volley simply deflected off of the metal shield, and Talus lifted the sword to a ready position. Power gathered into the sword and Talus shouted, "Vex! Vex! Lo! Jah! Twenty two spirits of Ral, I call upon thee! All things that oppose me, turn to dust! Burn, Phoenix!"

As before, the monstrous fire burst from Talus' sword and rushed across the ground. This time they only had one target, so all three streams of fire aimed for Kashya from different directions. Kashya ignored the fire and shot another arrow directly at Talus. He caught it on his shield and the arrow shattered, depositing a raging fire of its own on Talus' buckler.

Talus shouted in surprise and cast aside the buckler, then ducked to avoid the next wave of arrows. His concentration broke and the streams of fire burned out. The buckler by this point had been reduced to a puddle of molten slag by the intense flames from Kashya's arrow.

"Okay, not good" Talus muttered, "Golem!" The iron golem suddenly burst from the ground, emerging from where Talus had hidden it the night before. The next immolating arrow struck it head on and annihilated the golem in ten seconds. So much for that summon, Talus thought, Time to try something different.

"Vex! Vex! Lo! Jah! Burn, Phoenix!" Talus threw his sword into the air and thrust both of his hands upward. The sword again burst into flames. Metal melted and morphed hideously until the sword stood as a new iron golem. Another immolation arrow crashed into the new golem and burst into flames. Talus laughed as the golem's body sucked up the fire into its body. Before Kashya could fire the next arrow, the golem charged at her.

As the captain's bow came up, a burst of magic flared from Talus' hands. "Fangs of Trag'Oul!" He shouted as an arc of energy-infused splinters, not unlike Kashya's arcs of arrows, soared from Talus' hands and towards Kashya. She ducked under the spell, but as she aimed her bow, the arm of Talus' golem came down and snapped the bow in half. A sharp blade extended from the golem's arm and planted itself upon the rogue's neck.

"Yield you good lady?" Talus asked, initiating the ritual of surrender.

"I yield" growled Kashya, "The battle is yours"

"Good," Talus sighed and sank to his knees. The iron golem walked back to him obediently and burst into flames, melted into a sphere of molten steel, and resolved once more into Talus' sword.

"Thanks Phoenix, great job" Talus sheathed his blade and rose, "Well; that took more out of me than I thought it would. Now Kashya; since I won, will you readmit Cassandra to your encampment?"

"No"

"What?!"

"No," Kashya sighed, "I would, but our customs and laws forbid us from admitting anyone into our camp that has been banished and dishonored. I'm sorry, but she can't ever be a rogue again. She can lodge in the camp until she chooses her new path, but that is all."

"Fine" Talus snapped, "I suppose that's all I can expect from you." He turned his back to Kashya and strode over to a distraught Cassandra. "Everything will be fine, let's go"

Later

"Cassandra, no matter what you choose, you will need a weapon. A bow may break, or you may run out of ammunition. A spear can be shattered, and it requires two arms. The sword will be the most reliable weapon you will come across." Talus retrieved the sword he had bought from Charsi as he spoke.

"But a sword by itself would be useless. The sword must be a part of you, it must contain a part of your soul. You must," here Talus overturned a small bag he had been carrying, "Find the word that is you, at your very core."

Cassandra stared at the sizable pile of runes that had spilled from the bag. At Talus' invitation, she looked through them. Several of them looked very powerful but Cassandra passed over them without hesitation. Others looked visually aesthetic but she ignored them as well. Talus grew nervous as Cassandra passed over half of the runes without a second glance.

Suddenly, Cassandra's hand ran over a few runes that seemed to send a chill up her spine. Without a doubt these runes were calling to her. Cassandra carefully selected the runes from the pile in the order of urgency. After she assembled the runes, Cassandra fitted them into the sockets of the sword. To her delight, the sword had five sockets; the same as the number of runes she had selected. Talus raised an eyebrow in surprise as he read the runes that Cassandra fitted into the blade.

"Amn El Ith Tir Sol?" Talus chuckled. At Cassandra's confused look he explained, "It's interesting; the runes you selected form the ancient spelling of 'honor.' I find it oddly fitting that your soul's reflection is 'honor' when your captain decided to banish you. By all rights, according to them, you have no honor." As Cassandra moved to remove the runes, Talus hurriedly explained, "I didn't say that you actually have no honor, just that Kashya claims that you've been dishonored. In my opinion, and in your soul, you still have your honor."

Cassandra grabbed the hilt of the sword and lifted it to eye level. "So, how am I supposed to use this sword anyway?" She tried a practice swing and nearly decapitated herself. Talus had to stop himself from slapping his own face in exasperation.

"Okay," He said, "This will take some time. The first thing to remember about your sword…"

The next day passed by uneventfully as did the day after that. Kashya had barricaded herself in her tent for the entire time. Rogues had to bring her food so she didn't starve. The raid on the den of evil was postponed indefinitely. On the third day the two paladins, Mernic, and Ornlu ventured out to eliminate droves of zombies, quill rats, and fallen that had begun to congregate in the blood moor. They returned late in the afternoon, stained with the blood of a dozen foes each.

Several weeks passed with the four men heading out every few days to clear out the moor. Kashya had forbidden them from attacking the den until she assigned rogues to accompany them for additional protection. Oddly, it was Ornlu who convinced the rest of the group to agree. The paladins had not wanted to risk the rogues' lives, and Mernic had been insulted, saying that his powers were more than enough to clear the den singlehandedly. Ornlu reminded them of Triam's reasoning of greater numbers clearing the den in less time and with less risk.

Meanwhile, Cassandra spent her time training in the use of her sword. By the end of the second week she had managed to master the blade's energies, but Talus insisted on additional training. He taught her skills beyond mere swordsmanship, including elemental spells, some rudimentary curses, and even – to her initial discomfort – how to raise the dead. She also tried to keep up her practice with a bow.

Finally the day came that Kashya emerged from her tent and called the warriors together. She eyed them warily, reluctantly admitting that their skills might be greater than her own. She produced a list of names and called four rogues to their meeting.

Hannah, Nora, Jennifer, and Joan seemed wary of heading directly into the den of evil, but they nodded when they received their assignment. Joan, in particular, seemed excited to be travelling with the warriors. When asked, she just replied, "My cousin became a paladin."

Just before the group had made ready to depart; Talus strode out of his tent, arrayed in full battle gear. For him, this meant leather armor and his sword, but he also sported a black cloak. Another figure, garbed in the same attire, emerged from the tent. The second person's hood covered their head, obscuring their face.

"We're coming too" Talus said firmly, gripping his sword pommel.

"Who the heck are you?" Kashya asked the other person rather rudely.

"I'm surprised that you've forgotten me after so little time," A calm female voice said from under the hood, "Since it was you who banished me from the rogues, captain" Cassandra dropped her hood. Kashya stared at her former pupil, thunderstruck.

She had changed so much! Her hair no longer had its deep brown hue; it flowed around her shoulders, white as bone. Her eyes had changed from brown to bright green and glowed when clouds obscured the sky. She had apparently discarded her bow as her hand had clamped on the pommel of a sword on her hip. But the biggest change was in her demeanor; she no longer seemed to be unsure of herself, she had found who she truly was.

"Allow me to introduce you to Cassandra, apprentice necromancer and mage" Talus smiled, "We shall accompany you into the den of evil, with your consent."

"You've corrupted her!" Ursa shouted. He drew his sword in preparation to strike at Talus.

Steel flashed in the morning sun and Ursa found a blade at his throat. Following the blade to its owner, he saw Cassandra standing calmly, arm outstretched. "I'd back down if I were you" She stated. "We're not here to fight, not you anyway." After a moment, she returned her sword to her belt.

"Let us go then" Triam said pointedly ignoring the conflict, "The den will be cleansed."

"I swear," Talus groaned dully, "The monsters here have definitely gotten weaker!" He raised his hand and a crackling shaft of emerald energy lanced through the air and obliterated a pair of fallen. With the exception of Cassandra, the entire party stared at Talus uneasily. He'd spent the whole morning hurling spells of increasing power and brutality at the foes they'd come across with no signs of stopping. Smoking piles of slag were often the only remains of the weak enemies they'd come across. Somehow, in under a month, Talus' power had increased far beyond their own.

"By Trag'Oul, I'm bored!" A bolt of black fire soared from his hand and exploded on a quill rat. The poor beast died in a moment.

"I should think" Triam paused as Talus incinerated a trio of zombies on the path, "Not that they are weaker, but that you have definitely become stronger."

"Thank you" Talus smiled, "The den is up ahead, let's go!" Within minutes the group arrived. Triam and Ursa went first, followed by Mernic and the rogues, then Ornlu, and finally the two necromancers.

They traveled ten meters before they were ambushed. Droves of fallen, backed by shamans shrieked as they charged. Triam and Ursa fell back to protect the rogues and Mernic as they began launching volleys of arrows, or in Mernic's case; crossbow quarrels. Ornlu roared and charged, cleaving open the skulls of half a dozen demons, mashing brains across his battle axe. Talus and Cassandra followed him, but without war cries. Triam angrily considered ordering them to guard their flanks when a semicircle of bone and rock erupted from the ground just behind the group.

"I sense… death within this place" Cassandra murmured as she danced through the mass of demons, leaving a score of corpses in her wake. Talus wasted no time and went straight for the shamans to prevent the battle from getting out of hand. Sporting a spinning shield of bone, Talus charged through the fallen with impunity. A moment later, Triam and Ursa charged, the threat to the rogues now significantly reduced.

A minute later the demons all lay dead.

"Well," Talus said breathlessly, "Now that was a real challenge!" Charred bones collapsed around him, his energy no longer focused on maintaining the shield. "Moving on"

He'd just taken a step into the dark tunnel ahead when a giant fist connected with his gut. Cassandra watched in shock as her mentor soared through the air. Mernic conjured a powerful gust of air and caught Talus in mid-fall. A terrible howl filled the cavern as three gargantuan beasts lumbered into it.

"Just great" Mernic groaned, "I've heard of these beasts. We can't fight them, their fur is too thick for arrows to harm them and they can crush any of us in one blow!"

"Does that mean we're already stumped?" Ornlu growled, "I'm not one ter give up on this fight!" The barbarian howled right back at the behemoths and charged. He slammed his axe brutally into the neck of one, decapitating it, but another brought its fist back for a devastating strike. Suddenly its eyes clouded over with a light blue haze and its attack slowed dramatically. Seizing the chance, Ornlu beheaded the second creature as well. Meanwhile, Talus had run a flaming blade through the head of the third. Three corpses crashed to the ground.

"Okay," Cassandra said, rubbing her hands together eagerly, "These guys, we can work with!"

"Go for it" Talus said, conjuring up a golem from the cave wall. His student gathered her energy as he had taught her and reached into the realm of the dead. There she plucked three spirits out and embedded them in the corpses. A skeleton clawed its way out of each beast, gleaming white and eyes shining brightly. Each minion quickly scavenged a scimitar and a shield from the slain fallen before returning to Cassandra.

"I thought you didn't like summoning!" Triam roared in disgust, "How could you teach your…student that foul art?!" Ursa and the rogues added similar exclamations of outrage.

"I got over it during training" Talus shrugged, "After all: a man must accept his path in life. If he cannot follow the way that god has chosen for him, he is no man, no; he is lower than the meanest beast, for even the beasts know their place. That is why I have strode forward with my head upright and my gaze unfaltering; to fulfill the path set out for me." Triam and Ursa stood in shock; the "unholy" necromancer had just quoted, word for word, part of the Sacred Scripture of Zakarum. Even worse; he had applied it flawlessly to himself and his student, justifying their practices in a way that the paladins could not object to; for that would be tantamount to objecting to their own faith.

"Two months in Kurast surrounded by the council of Zakarum will do that to a man" Talus sighed, seeing the paladins' expressions. "We're not going to use our minions for evil, we'll use them to keep the rest of us alive."

Cassandra beckoned to one of her summons, "Kasma; scout the passage ahead!" The skeleton in question nodded and stalked down the tunnel carefully. "Let's go!"

They cleaned out the den easily for the most part. Out of the seven caverns and the entrance room, all but one contained nothing but broken corpses. Talus and Cassandra had even taken the liberty of blasting numerous holes in the ceilings of each room that they cleared. Now light shone into the once pitch black cave.

"This is the last cave!" Triam declared, causing Talus and Cassandra to roll their eyes. "Let us defeat the foul beasts and return to the rogue camp!" Before they could storm the cave, however, four zombies shambled out followed by a monstrosity.

A teal zombie, ten feet tall, towered over the entire group. Talus and Cassandra looked on in awe while the others looked upon it with terror.

"Corpsefire…" The necromancers muttered in unison. Talus turned to the paladins, "Take out the minions, Cassandra and I will handle Corpsefire! Watch out though; he can-"

"Use magic!" Ornlu shouted in warning as a bolt of lightning issued from one of Corpsefire's hands. Cassandra raised her blade and shouted "Amn! El! Ith! Tir! Sol! Pierce uncertainty and show the way! Guide, Honor!" The lightning changed trajectory and struck the upraised sword. Instead of shocking Cassandra, the sword absorbed all of the lightning.

"My turn!" Talus shouted, "Trag'Oul's Talon!" He conjured a spear of bone and hurled it at the giant teal zombie's head. He struck it between the eyes, but Corpsefire just spewed a fireball from his mouth. Again, he aimed for the other group, ignoring the necromancers. "Vex! Vex! Lo! Jah! Protect them! Phoenix!" The sword spewed a giant stream of flame. The conflagration wrapped around the paladins and rogues in a protective sphere and absorbed the fireball. Corpsefire moaned and launched an icy spear at Ornlu. The giant man hurled his axe and shattered the missile.

"Okay, that settles it," Cassandra said excitedly, "I want him as a minion!" Talus nodded and charged Corpsefire who continued to ignore them and cast another lightning bolt at the rogues. Cassandra redirected the bolt into her sword as Talus began hacking away at the giant undead. Meanwhile, Triam and Ursa made short work of the undead, having blessed their swords. Any zombie that passed the holy knights ended up filled with arrows from the rogues. Ornlu had charged ahead into the dark cavern and the sounds of combat could be heard.

Just as Ursa decapitated the last minion zombie, Corpsefire roared and began casting a spell that both necromancers recognized. "Poison!" Talus shouted in warning, but Cassandra swung her sword; releasing the two lightning bolts it had absorbed. Each bolt fried one of the zombie's eyes out, and Corpsefire's head exploded.

"This den has been cleansed of evil" Proclaimed Triam.

"Heh," Mernic chuckled, "Is that all of them?"

"Will that be enough to earn the rogues' trust?" Talus asked of the rogues that had aided them.

"I can't speak for Akara or Kashya," Hannah said, "But I'm convinced."

"But I" Ursa asserted, "am not. You have defiled the dead; prepare to meet your fate!"

Triam and Ornlu, who had just returned, groaned. Mernic activated a scroll and projected a window through space towards the rogue camp. The rest of the party filed through. Triam went last, saying "Deal with this yourselves!"

Ursa laughed and drew his sword again. Talus sighed and readied his own. Cassandra, meanwhile had begun the task of raising Corpsefire. Steel clashed as the paladin and necromancer dueled across the cave. As soon as Cassandra tried to raise their former foe a bolt of black lightning lanced from the zombie's arm and struck the paladin who promptly vanished in a cloud of darkness.

"Okay, that's not good" Cassandra remarked, "How do we explain that to Triam?"

**There will be no need.** A terrible voice emanated from Corpsefire's body, despite the fact that his head had exploded.** For neither of you shall be returning to them!** Red lightning gathered around the zombie's arm, but before the unknown spell could be cast, another powerful voice rang out.

_**No! You will not destroy them as you have so many before!**_ A robed man appeared in a burst of light. In his hand he grasped an ethereal blade of azure blue. And he had wings, really big wings.

**You are too late to stop me Tyreal!** The terrible voice gloated, **They will be mine in this world forever! Imagine the power of these two as generals of Hell's armies! Hahahahahaha!**

"What makes you believe that we'll submit to you?" Talus shouted, his voice sounding weak compared to the others.

**Fools! Not even death can save you from me! Know this; I am your master now! I am Diablo, Lord of Terror!**

_**Never!**_ Tyreal shouted_, __**I will use any power at my disposal to shield them from harm! I will send them to a world beyond your foul grasp! And then I will lead the other heroes against you and the legions of hell! You shall fall, Diablo, and I will be there to witness it!**_

A circle of magic formed around Talus and Cassandra as the red lightning roared from Corpsefire's arm. Both necromancers cried out in pain as their souls were ripped from their bodies and flung across the spirit realm. But they did not vanish, for Tyreal appeared before them and spoke.

_**I was unable to save you in your world, so I'm sending you to be with my daughter in her world. It is a world where magic is little known by most people. Therefore you must endeavor to keep your own identities as magic users and necromancers in particular as secret as you can.**_

"How…how will we know your daughter?" Cassandra asked.

Talus laughed brokenly, "I'll bet that she's got giant wings for one, that can't be too common."

_**Her name is Setsuna. And no, she does not normally have giant wings protruding from her back. When you meet her you should explain that you've met me, to not frighten her as you know her identity. **_

Tyreal told the two many things, including the method of spell casting in their new lives, the people they would meet, and the four people he was charging them to protect. He also told them of certain pacts that could be made and how to address the people of the new world as well as a plethora of other facts.

_**Now, go Talus and Cassandra, go and make the best of your new life. I will be watching over you both. **_

Wisps of smoke whirled about the two necromancers, spinning faster and faster. Green began peeking through the gray and suddenly the smog of the spirit realm disappeared, revealing the edge of a forest and the giant school beyond.

_**Welcome to Mahora Academy.**_

A.N. Don't ask, don't ask, don't ASK!! The reason I'm doing a Diablo/Mahou Sensei Negima crossover is because of three reasons.

1. I've never seen one done before, so I wanted to see how it'd turn out.

2. I lost interest in the Diablo universe a while ago, but not in the characters.

3. Negima needs some more good guys who have cool powers.

Has anyone else noticed that? In EVERY anime, EVERY manga, and EVERY video game the bad guys have sharper swords, bigger guns, and cooler costumes, skills, weapons in general, and the almighty GRAVITY DEFYING HAIR!! Why can't more protagonists be utterly badass too? I mean really, I've only seen about four totally awesome protagonists and two of them are in Final Fantasy. They are:

Vincent Valentine (disagree at your own peril, he's sitting right next to me)

Cloud Strife (Because everyone needs an obnoxiously large weapon with other large weapons stored inside it…mmmm, overkill)

Nagi Springfield (the genius idiot "bleah, bleah, what's with these birds?" lol)

Negi Springfield (say otherwise and be hit with his artifact and Magia Erebra)

Anyway, I'll try to update soon, but be warned: the next chapters will not be anywhere near as long.

Talus: So what's the word count for this chapter anyway?

Ornlu: It's over 9000!!!!!

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.

Ja ne

~Dusk Ado~


	2. Unknown Universe, Our New Home

A.N. So yeah, last chapter was really, really long. I might get the chapters back up to that again, but for now the chapters will be around 2000-4000 or so words for the next…lots of chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Diablo or the game's plot or universe, they are owned by Blizzard Entertainment (as are WOW and Starcraft.) I don't own the Negima Universe or any of the canon characters. I do own my characters and some of my personally crafted spells.

Strength of Spirit

Chapter 2 (Negima Universe)

Unknown Universe, Our New Home

* * *

"Well we sensed a powerful magic being worked, but where is it?" Cassandra wondered as the two strode along the edge of the Mahora Campus forest.

Talus laughed and pointed towards the nearby school staircase where a demonic-looking girl had just picked up a petrified boy and hauled him off into the forest.

"There he is, person number one"

"That kid's Negi Springfield?" Cassandra asked incredulously. The two necromancers had spent the first few hours exploring the academy, interacting with the students – all of whom were girls to their shock – and even encountered one of the people Tyreal had identified as a magic-user; Takamichi T. Takahata. Finally, after much searching, they had located two of the four people Tyreal had told them to protect.

"Yes; 'the only boy in the entire Mahora Junior High School.' Not the most subtle is he?" Talus smirked while looking both at Negi and Cassandra in amazement. To their surprise, both of them had regressed in age, Talus now being sixteen and Cassandra being almost seventeen by their estimates. Talk about looking four years younger than you are.

They had both just observed Negi in the act of rescuing a girl from falling from a flight of stairs. He had done so by blatantly using wind magic to halt her fall long enough to catch her in his arms. However, another student; Asuna Kagurazaka, had witnessed the magic and promptly dragged the terrified Negi off into the forest.

"Well," Talus sighed, "I suppose we should go rescue the bozu. Bozu is the right term, right?"

"Yes and yes" Cassandra laughed, "Let's go."

They arrived at Negi and Asuna's location in time to witness Asuna claim that she would tell everyone about Negi being a mage. The boy's next statement galvened Talus into action.

* * *

"I'll have to erase your memory!" Negi proclaimed, whirling his staff and chanting as he approached a surprised Asuna. "Ancient spirits far and near, make her memory…" But he got no further as a teenage boy with green eyes and white hair appeared directly in front of him and poked Negi in the forehead. Negi recoiled in shock, his incantation stopped.

"Now that might not be such a good idea mage-san" Talus said casually, "Displaying your magic so openly again will not exactly help you here." Negi's eyes bugged out as another white-haired, green-eyed teenager appeared out of the forest. This person was a girl, and slightly taller than Asuna or the boy.

"Talus, don't freak him out like that; he's just a kid." Cassandra sighed, "Geeze, you'd think someone as strong as you would be a little more mature?"

"Lose your memories!" Negi shouted in a panic, brandishing his staff. He began the incantation again, but Talus flicked him and the spell dissipated.

"There's no need for that" Cassandra smiled, "We're not the type to go spreading a secret around. But just for clarification; you are a mage, aren't you?"

Negi puffed out his chest comically, "Yes, I am. My name is Negi Springfield and I'm going to be a Magister Magi!"

"Okay," Asuna said, nervously eying the new arrivals. "What the hell is going on? You two are magicians too?"

"Sort of," Talus said, "Cassandra and I both practice magic, but we're what you'd consider 'magic swordsmen' on the grounds that we can fight physically as well as magically. We're a very capable team."

"So… are the two of you partners?" Negi asked. Both necromancers flushed red and hurriedly denied the statement.

"No, merely teammates" Talus laughed, "We haven't formed a Pactio, and probably won't. Not with each other, anyway."

"Um, helloooo!" Asuna said, "This is me, going to tell everyone about you guys!"

A blast of fire collided with a tree in front of Asuna and Talus said, "Sorry, but we can't let that happen."

"In exchange for not telling anyone about us, we'll tell you everything about magic that we know." Cassandra offered, "If you swear not to reveal our existence to anyone except who we approve we might even be able to make you a mage as well."

Asuna stared at them dubiously.

"You're joking right?"

Cassandra smiled and nodded.

"No," she said.

* * *

Twigs snapped and leaves crunched beneath the shoes of an approaching person. Then a voice called out from behind a thicket of trees. "Negi? Is that you?"

Before the eyes of the four, Takamichi T. Takahata walked into the miniature clearing. He glanced briefly at the charred remains of the tree Talus had struck and decided he didn't want to know. Scanning the small gathering, Takamichi smiled.

"So, Asuna-kun, making new friends, I see. I'm glad to see that you're getting along so well with Talus-san and Cassandra-san already." His tone changed, "Negi, there's something that I need to speak to you, Talus-san, and Cassandra-san about."

"Does it have to do with magic, Takahata-sensei?" Asuna asked, blushing, "Are you a magician too?" Takamichi's eyes widened in shock.

"How did-"

"She saw me rescue Nodoka-san" Negi piped up, "I had no choice but to tell her"

"And does she realize that she can't tell anyone about this? Do you, Asuna-kun?"

"Of-of course, Takahata-sensei!" Asuna said with starry eyes. Talus and Cassandra shared a dubious glance behind Asuna's back.

"Well, then I guess that you can hear it Asuna-kun. It wasn't about magic anyway. Cassandra-san, you've been assigned to help in the Library Expedition Club. Talus-san, you'll be helping out with Negi's paperwork and with the Martial Arts club. The two of you should report to the Dean for your bunking assignments."

"Hai Takahata-sempai!" Talus and Cassandra said.

"Negi and Asuna-kun, come with me" Takamichi said. "I believe an explanation is in order Asuna-kun?"

* * *

The Dean's Office

* * *

"So, the two of you are here to help at Mahora Academy?"

"Yes, Headmaster-sensei." Talus said, "We're here to assist in whatever manner we can."

"Ho ho, very well. Cassandra-san can bunk with Yue Ayase and Nodoka Myazaki. Both are in the Library Expedition Club, so the arrangements will be advantageous. Talus-san, bunking for you will be a bit more…problematic. I think you can understand what I'm talking about; being a teenage boy and all. For now I can lodge you with Kaede Nagase and Ku Fei. Be warned; if you try anything they deem inappropriate, you'll be in for a rather nasty surprise. Both are experts in close quarters combat, after all. Ha ha ha!"

Talus felt a giant bead of sweat slide down the side of his face. "I'll keep that in mind Headmaster-sensei."

"Very good, very good" the headmaster chuckled. "Classes are over for today, so you can both go meet your new roommates. Here" he handed them both maps, "these should prove useful for navigating the school campus."

"Thank you so much, Headmaster-sensei!" Cassandra said cheerfully. "See you later Talus!" And with that she turned and hurried out of the room. Talus thanked the headmaster as well and left, albeit more calmly.

The headmaster sighed as the two necromancers' footsteps faded. "Tyreal," he muttered, "You really hate me, don't you?"

* * *

"Um, excuse me!" Cassandra called out to the first girl she saw. "I'm looking for Myazaki Nodoka-san. Do you know where I can find her?" The girl turned and gave Cassandra a confused look, focusing on her white hair.

"You're looking for Nodoka? She's probably in the library right now. I'm heading there too, so you can just come with me." Cassandra smiled and thanked the girl.

As they walked, the girl said, "You know, I've never seen you around the school before. Are you a transfer student?"

"Well, not exactly; my friend and I were assigned here to work at the school and to assist Negi-san. By the way, I'm Cassandra Wrensworth." Cassandra pulled her 'last name' completely out of thin air, but she thought it had a nice ring to it.

"Yue Ayase," the girl replied, "Nice to meet you Cassandra-san"

"Likewise" Cassandra said before poking her fingers nervously, "I don't know if you've been told; but the headmaster said we're short on lodging space and he wanted to have me bunk with you and Myazaki-san."

Yue paused as she fitted a key into a doorway that Cassandra could only assume led to the library. "I don't have a problem with it," She said, "And Nodoka-san probably won't either. Let's go; she'll most likely be glad to meet you."

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

"Master Ku! Today is the day of your defeat!"

Talus weaved through a gathered crowd of people, searching for the source of the arrogant voice. He'd heard that a bunch of university students had hatched a plan to finally defeat Ku Fei once and for all.

"Come and get it!" A girl's voice shouted out, "I'll take you all on at once, aru!"

By the time Talus reached the front of the crowd, the sounds of conflict had long since faded, leaving everyone staring in shock. In the middle of a half-dozen unconscious college students stood a middle-school age Chinese girl with – Talus thought – impressively long hair. The girl, apparently Ku Fei, noticed Talus staring at her and smiled a bit creepily.

"Do you have a problem with me, aru? Because that wasn't even a warm-up; I didn't even break a sweat. I'd fight you too, aru!" Talus gulped, taken aback at the challenge. Around him, students began chanting "Fight, fight fight!" He sighed.

"All right, I guess I'm up. Man, talk about the worst way of introducing myself." Talus bowed to Ku Fei, "My name is Talus Sohi, and I accept your challenge!"

"Nice to meet you, aru. I'm Ku Fei." The girl smiled cheekily, "Don't hold back, aru!"

Talus' eyes widened as Ku Fei's foot, coming out of nowhere, bashed him across the face. Introduced rather abruptly to the ground, Talus clasped his head. [Okay] he thought [That was definitely NOT expected. I guess I'll play this game] He pulled himself to his feet.

"Oh, so you're not done, aru? That's good!"

Another kick appeared in the blink of an eye, but this time Talus caught the blow with his arm. He miscalculated though, and stumbled back from the force behind the kick. Ku didn't hesitate and pressed her advantage with a barrage of well placed punches, kicks, and chops as well as several ankle sweeps clearly intended to drop her opponent. Talus, pouring all of his focus into blocking and dodging, only managed to avoid serious injury by a combination of agility and sheer luck.

Ku stepped forward and brought her leg up for a kick which Talus prepared to block. Ku's eyes brightened as her kick changed from a front kick into a roundhouse in less than a second. Talus had no time to shift his defense, and grunted in pain as he suffered another jarring blow to his head. Before he regained his focus, Ku Fei kicked him in the stomach and, when Talus doubled over, used an arm and a leg to scissor sweep the boy to the ground.

"Nice try, aru!" Ku said, "You're pretty good. Maybe we'll fight again, aru." She walked away giggling to herself.

Talus pulled himself up again, wiping asphalt bits from his shirt. A moment later, a college student clapped him on the back.

"You were great!" He exclaimed, "Nobody's ever lasted that long against Master Ku before!"

"Thanks" Talus said, mortified. He dusted himself off, retrieved his bag, and ran off after the Chinese girl. "Ku Fei-san! Wait up!" Several laughs and wolf whistles issued from the college crowd.

"Oh I hope he tries to ask her out! I'd love to see what happens!" One of the boys gasped, choking on his laughter.

* * *

_Where is she?!_ Talus shouted to himself _How did she disappear so fast?_ He turned the corner of a hall and ran headlong into a door.

CRASH! Stars enveloped Talus' vision as he lost consciousness.

Ku Fei's head popped out of the classroom.

"Oh! Hi Talus-san! Are you here for help with Engrish lessons too, aru? Negi-sensei said he was getting an assistant. Um, Talus-san?" Ku Fei squatted down in front of the still dazed boy and waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you alright, aru?"

"Ohhh!" Talus warbled with spiraling eyes, "Spinney, spinney, spinney… wow! A pretty girl… hi pretty girl! Will you be my friend? Hee hee hee…"

Ku sweatdropped as a girl dressed in what could only be described as ninja gear appeared behind her.

"Ku-san? What's wrong with that boy, de-gozaru?"

"I think I broke him, aru!" Ku mourned, "What do I do, Kaede-san?"

"Hit him on the head." Kaede offered, "It might work, de-gozaru."

"Okay!" WHAM! Kaede sweatdropped as her friend proceeded to bash Talus into the ground. Talus thrashed momentarily before sitting bolt upright, eyes still slightly glazed.

"ALRIGHT! I'm awake already! You can stop now, Rathma-sensei!" Both girls sweatdropped as Talus suddenly realized that he was not in the Temples of Rathma, but in Mahora Academy.

"Oh, hi Ku-san! How are you?" Ku graciously helped Talus to his feet and muttered, "Just fine, aru." Talus caught sight of Kaede at that moment and held out his hand with a smile.

"Hi! I'm Talus Sohi, nice to meet you!" After a moment Kaede uncertainly took his hand and shook it.

"Kaede Nagase, nice to meet you too." She replied, "Are you okay, de-gozaru?"

Talus looked confused, "Okay? Did something happen? Oh! Yes, I'm fine; Ku-san didn't beat me too bad!" Ku winced as Kaede rounded on her with a slight frown.

"Were you fighting again? That's going to get you in trouble, de-gozaru. The dean said that-"

"Oh, I'm fine" Talus laughed, "I guess I wasn't at all prepared for her; she's a very good fighter."

Ku Fei looked extremely pleased with herself. "Well," she said, "I do practice for two hours a day, aru."

"Ku-san, Kaede-san?" Negi called from the classroom, "We're about to start, so please take your seats!" Both girls looked a bit sheepish and hurried back into the class. Talus, still a bit disoriented, followed.

* * *

"Thank you all for showing up for Remedial English Lessons." Negi smiled brightly at everyone before he continued. "Today will be simple so I can get an estimate of your proficiency. You'll all fill out a ten-question quiz and you have to stay until you get a six or better." Negi distributed the tests and sat down. Talus walked up to him.

"So, how long will this take?" Talus asked.

"Well, it's the first day, so I don't-"

"I'm done Negi-sensei" Yue said dully as she dropped her test onto Negi's desk. Both Negi and Talus jumped.

Negi dubiously checked the test over. To his astonishment, Yue only missed one question.

"Nine out of ten, well done Yue-san." Negi smiled as Yue assumed a rather cat-like expression. "Aw, come one Yue-san; you could at least smile"

"This is my smile" Yue pouted, "Come on Nodoka, let's go"

As the two girls left; Makie, Kaede, and Ku dropped their tests off on Negi's desk.

4, 5, 3

"Sorry girls" Negi said, "You've got to try again." He handed another test to them, then he walked up to Asuna. "How are you doing Asuna-san?"

Asuna glared at him angrily and handed over her test.

2

"Sorry Asuna-san, you're not done here either." Negi handed her another test.

A few minutes later, Kaede and Ku turned in their second tests. Negi smiled as he graded them at seven points each. Ku, Kaede and Talus left after Talus had taken the completed tests to deliver to the headmaster.

Makie walked up to Negi and handed over her test. Negi's pen scratched the paper as he graded the test.

"Well Makie-san, you just squeaked by with six points. You can go too. Just study a little harder"

Makie smiled brightly as she skipped out.

Asuna smirked as she handed over her second test.

1

Negi gaped. _Her score didn't improve the second time; it worsened!_

"Uh, l-let's go over the pronoun-verb agreement again Asuna-san." Negi stammered, waving his hand across the board and reciting "'I am', 'you are', 'to be'…"

Asuna groaned, _Someone kill me now!_

A.N. Okay, so I didn't get nearly as much into this chapter; sue me. No, I take it back, please don't. I'm trying to develop a story where the chapters are long, but not ridiculously so. I plan to make one of the pairings Asuna/Negi, so expect me to kill off Asuna's infatuation for Takamichi fairly quickly. Also, I'm going to develop artifacts for Talus and Cassandra, and I'm open for suggestions. So far I'm thinking:

Talus: He keeps his Phoenix sword, and later gains wrist guards that he can channel energy through to create temporary barriers.

Cassandra: Discarded her sword in the Diablo universe, gains a bow that she can fire lightning based arrows of varying power from, also gains considerable abilities in lightning manipulation.

Both are open to revision and change, so if you have an idea, just message me.

Ja ne

~Dusk Ado~

* * *


	3. Cover Blown, Congratulations Bakas

Disclaimer: I don't own Diablo or the game's plot or universe, they are owned by Blizzard Entertainment (as are WOW and Starcraft.) I don't own the Negima Universe or any of the canon characters. I do own my characters and some of my personally crafted spells.

Strength of Spirit

Chapter 3 (Negima Universe)

Cover Blown, Congratulations Bakas

* * *

One hour later…

* * *

In a surprisingly short time Negi had managed to get all of the "Baka Rangers" (as the girls called themselves) to score at least a 6/10 on their mini-quizzes. Well, all except one.

"I are stupid, you am useless" Asuna mumbled looking over her latest test.

{**Provide the proper pronoun-verb agreement for the following sentences**}

**1. The Imperial Princess has long, red hair. ________ very beautiful.**

Asuna's eyes glazed over slightly as she read.

Princess…_princess_…_Imperial Princess_…

"Aw, don't give up Asuna-san!" Negi said in a panic as he graded another deplorable test grade. A small mountain of test papers loomed in front of him. He looked over them in depression; four, three, one, two, one, three, one, two, four… Negi couldn't understand; Asuna-san always seemed to be (moderately) intelligent in class. Takamichi had left a favorable report regarding Asuna's progress. So why was she doing so badly?

Suddenly it clicked; "Asuna-san, if you manage to score well, you'll be able to show Takahata-sensei your pro-" Scritch, scratch, WOOSH! "-gress?" In less than two seconds, Asuna had disposed of the mountain of failed tests, gathered another, completed it, and placed it on Negi's desk. Negi stared blankly for a moment before sitting down and beginning to grade it.

"Wow! Ten out of ten! Well done Asuna-san!" Negi smiled. _Just as I thought; she just needed some good motivation._

"How's it going Negi-kun?" Both Negi and Asuna turned to the window where Takamichi had poked his head in. "Oh, hi Asuna-kun, still being a pain in Negi-kun's ass, I see!" Asuna fell over and Negi slapped himself in the head. "Well, keep at it"

"Wait, Takamichi!" Negi called out, "I think you should see the progress Asuna-san has made!" Asuna looked up hopefully and practically teleported from her desk to Takamichi's side.

"Here, look sensei!" Asuna smiled, starry-eyed, "I got a ten out of ten!"

Takamichi stepped back marginally and smiled, "Well, that's great Asuna-kun. I'm glad to see you're making progress. If you'll excuse me for now, I have a staff meeting. You two can go back to your dorm room for now and flirt there." He only just managed to keep a straight face as Negi's own face turned beet-red and Asuna's could have been replaced with a marble statue with no visible change. Takamichi winked at them both and left, chuckling to himself as he walked down the hall.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you sensei?" Takamichi jumped as a dark haired girl appeared right behind him. Takamichi sighed as he noticed the half-dozen security guards practically surrounding the girl.

"Yes I did Konoka-san, their expressions were absolutely priceless" Takamichi pulled out a pair of pictures, that he had somehow managed to take without Negi or Asuna noticing, and showed them to Konoka. As Konoka giggled uncontrollably at the pictures, Takamichi said, "So, your grandfather has you going for one of those again?"

"Yes" Konoka sighed, "I really wish he'd stop it; I'm too young for these."

"And the guards?"

"Are here to make sure I don't run away again" Konoka giggled and Takamichi raised an eyebrow. _I don't want to know. I don't want to know…_

* * *

"Um, Asuna-san? Are you alright? You know Takamichi-sempai was really happy for you. I really think he was joking too. Asuna-san?" Negi waved his hand energetically in front of Asuna's face.

Asuna hadn't moved at all since Takamichi's departure, Negi suspected that she hadn't even breathed. He scrutinized her face and sweatdropped when he saw that Asuna's eyes had totally glazed over.

Asuna, meanwhile, was in a state of absolute shock. _H-he…Takahata-sensei thought…that m-me and that, that brat are…Oh no, no, n-no, no-o, n-n-no…_ Her mind abruptly flashed a picture of her and Negi standing under the world tree, lip-locking. And, strange and horrifying as it was to Asuna, it didn't feel shocking or revolting.

The vision changed…

_Water roared and salty foam sprayed as great waves crashed upon the cliffs below. Asuna looked and saw a small camp set up nearby. Three or four men were sitting around a campfire and a little girl had detached from them and now stared out at the sea. A little girl with surprisingly familiar ponytails, by the way._

_"You know, Asuna-chan," a cloaked man said as he walked up to a much younger Asuna, "You're not too much older than my son Negi. I think you two'd get along if you met him."_

_The young Asuna just glared at him and said, "I like Nagi-san better."_

_A young man nearby laughed, "Well, she's certainly a picky girl! Nice choice Asuna-chan!"_

_Young-Asuna smirked, "Thanks, Takamichi-baka" The teenage Takamichi, as well as the older Asuna, face planted in the dirt._

_"Hey Asuna, look!" Nagi beamed, pointing at the eastern sky as it slowly suffused with gold. "It's a beautiful sunrise…" He gave the young girl a toothy smile, and for a moment he looked like…_

"Asuna-san! Please wake up! You need to breathe!" Negi wailed.

Asuna abruptly jerked back to full awareness and began gasping for breath. Her flashback, if that's what it was, continued to play in the back of her head. However, even though Asuna did not remember ever knowing someone named Nagi, the memory fit perfectly in her mind.

"Are you alright Asuna-san?" Negi asked, leaning closer to her face. Asuna met him with a clenched fist.

"No, I am not alright! What was that?! What did you do?" Asuna bellowed, eyes narrowed and steam venting from her ears.

Negi scratched his head as he got up off the floor.

"What do you mean?"

"That freaky flashback with me as a little kid, and a younger Takahata-sensei, and some weird cloaked guy named Nag…" Asuna stopped in mid-word, her mind finally connecting the memory to real life. She started again, but softer.

"Negi-sensei, what was your father's name?"

Surprised and confused, Negi said, "Well, since you seem eager to know; my father became known as the man who mastered a thousand spells. His name is Nagi Springfield." Negi smiled proudly. "Why did you want to know Asuna-san? That kinda came out of nowhere."

Asuna gulped and said, "I think that I used to know your dad."

* * *

Library

17:00

* * *

The library glowed with the gold of the setting sun. Students and teachers alike slowly departed as the time for dinner approached. But, at one table, part of the Library Expedition Club still sat, watching in amazement as their newest member read through book after book with an almost inhuman speed.

"Yue-chan, are you sure that she's human?" Nodoka asked as Cassandra set down yet another book onto the ever-growing stack beside her. Yue assumed a thoughtful expression for a moment, and then answered.

"No, in fact; I am not." Nodoka and Konoka stared at Yue oddly.

"Um, are you being-"

"Serious? No" Yue sighed.

"Um, Cassandra-san?" Nodoka said, "We have to go now. The library's closed."

Cassandra looked up and took three seconds to return to reality.

"Oh," she sighed, "that's too bad. I wasn't even halfway done."

Nodoka raised an eyebrow.

"Are you planning to read every book in the library?"

"Yes"

"Good luck with that!" Chimed Konoka, "Now I've got to get back to my room to make sure Asuna and Negi-sensei don't kill each other." And with that, she happily ran off towards her dorm.

Nodoka looked at the two dozen books the Cassandra had amassed on the table.

"We'll help you put them back, then we can go" Yue offered.

"No need," Cassandra smiled. She clapped her hands together and chanted, "Amn El Ith Tir Sol! Return to your proper places!" Each book at the table abruptly shut itself and rose several inches into the air. Before Yue and Nodoka's eyes, the books sorted themselves and slid into the proper places on the various shelves. Cassandra giggled to herself, stood up, and froze as she saw Nodoka and Yue. Both wore expressions of pure astonishment and Cassandra shivered slightly.

_Oh my god_ Cassandra thought in a panic. _I just went and used magic right in front of them! Why am I so stupid? What'll happen now? Oh no, oh no, oh no!_

Yue regained her composure first.

"Let's go" she said, "We have to be back in our dorm room in ten minutes." Cassandra sighed with relief, until Yue continued, "And Cassandra-san, you will explain what we just saw."

_Just great; I can't even go one day without blowing my cover. What's next?_

* * *

Room 2-A-14

Occupants: Nagase Kaede, Fei Ku, Sohi Talus

* * *

"When the headmaster said that we'd have the new guy bunking with us, he didn't mention that the guy was a miniature…" Ku trailed off, thinking of what word to use.

"I think the word you're looking for would be 'Apothecary' Ku-san." Talus said as he finished arraying his collection of plants, herbs, and books in the room's loft where he would be sleeping. "I want to learn as much as I can, and one of my interests would be plants."

"Yes! That's it, aru. Thanks Talus-san." Ku said. As Talus descended into the main part of the dorm room, he broke a small, nearly invisible thread. As soon as he landed, a pair of shuriken launched from an unseen trap at Talus.

"What the-?" Talus ducked under the metal disks and winced as they buried themselves in the wall. "What was that for?!" Kaede appeared right behind him, making him jump.

"Oh, I forgot, de-gozaru. This entire room is rigged with traps to test your agility." Talus stared at Kaede, then shrugged and turned to the window. "Oh no, don't-" Kaede's warning came too late as a hidden cord fastened around Talus' ankle and yanked him off his feet. As he hung there, the closet door opened.

Talus' eyes bulged in fear as a giant shuriken launched itself from the closet, directly at him. Acting entirely on instinct, Talus summoned his sword, severed the cord holding him, and landed lightly on his feet. Black, soundless flames erupted from the sword as Talus deflected the shuriken, narrowly avoiding being split in half from face to groin.

"The hell?" He snarled, rounding on the girls. "You two are absolutely cra…zy?" Talus stopped talking when he noticed that neither girl had paid the least bit of attention to him. Both girls just stared at the burning sword Talus held in his hand. Frustrated, Talus banished the sword and waved his hand in front of their faces. "Hello? I'm talking to you!"

WHAM!

Looking up from the floor, Talus gulped. Ku and Kaede wore identical expressions of shock and probably fear. Talus' mind clicked and he swore. "Damnation! You're probably wondering about the sword, am I right?" Both girls nodded. "Oh, just great."

(Simultaneous Explanation)

"Talus/Cassandra and myself are both mages. We're here to help out Negi-sensei however we can. I/Talus specialize(s) in fire and dark magic while Cassandra/I specialize(s) in lightning magic."

"Our actions were because where we're from, magic is very commonplace. It doesn't seem out of place, and we've grown used to casually using magic or overreacting in certain situations."

"But" Talus scowled, "That still doesn't excuse those two traps you used. What if I were someone else? I'd be dead!"

"Well, we usually have the traps disarmed when guests are around, de-gozaru." Kaede said, "But I guess I forgot to turn them off today." Talus almost ground his teeth together.

"Whatever, now; the way we use magic is very unique…"

The explanations lasted long into the night, but once they were done, Nodoka, Yue, Ku, and Kaede all vowed to keep their secret and said that the two were welcome to stay.

* * *

A.N. Okay, not too much here, just some filler and progress. The next chapter will get into some more stuff. Expect the speed of updates to slow down as the story goes on and the chapters get longer. Also, I'm going to begin writing spells in (probably incorrect) Latin. I _might_ consider putting a translation at the bottom… if someone asks nicely. Okay, so I'm a bit cruel like that, well; I'm a video game addict, so I'm looking for other hobbies/addictions.

Ja ne

~Dusk Ado~


	4. Magical Craze on Mahora Campus

Strength of Spirit

Chapter 4

Magical Craze on Mahora Campus

* * *

Forest Clearing (Two days later)

* * *

"You want me to what?!" Negi gaped. Takamichi and Talus both laughed, though the latter seemed quite nervous.

"I wanted you and Talus to have a practice session. I've set up a barrier so you don't have to worry about intruders, and it'll be a good way to assess your skill levels."

Both Negi and Talus eyed each other nervously while Takamichi stepped back. When he felt he had a good amount of distance, he shouted, "Go!"

"Undecim phasmatis lux lucis! Reprobo quod recolligo ut meus manus! Magic Archer Consecutive Burst! Eleven Light Arrows!" Negi apparently planned on finishing the battle quickly, as he charged the light arrows with more power than necessary. Talus analyzed the spell for a moment.

_Hmm… interesting._ Talus thought _He gathers the energy and splits it into smaller fragments. Exactly like…_

"Trag'Oul valde extraho quisnam portatus orbis terrarum in suus tergum , servo vestri fidelis vernula per vestri acer dentibus! (The great dragon who carried the world on his back, his fangs protect those whom he favors!) Fangs of Trag'Oul!" Talus launched his spell and broke it into eleven fragments as well. Each fang intercepted one of the light arrows and all twenty two missiles exploded.

Negi frowned, _It seems like I can't win that easily, I suppose I'll have to do more._

"Rastel Maskil Magister! Septumdecim phasmatis lux lucis, eo per idem eadem idem semita. Magic Archer Repeating Burst! Seventeen light arrows!" Again, a large number of light arrows burst forth, but this time they all launched along the same path, one after another. Talus laughed in appreciation.

_Great, I can't counter that with a Talon, it'd kill him. And the Fangs won't stop all of them. That leaves me with one option!_ "Vex! Vex! Lo! Jah!" Talus shouted, "Vesica eternus incendia! (Blade of Undying Flames!)" His blade burst into existence in a rush of flames. Talus held the sword in a defensive position, bracing his left hand on the flat of the blade, and blocked all seventeen arrows after which the sword's blade shattered.

"Give up!" Negi called, "I broke your artifact, so you won't be able to defend against my next attack!" Talus smirked as the Vesica Eternus Incendia's hilt turned black and simply grew a new blade from the dark fire.

"It's called the Blade of Undying Flames for a reason," Talus crowed, "No matter how many times you break the blade, the flames will always restore it. The blade will never be destroyed. Now then," Talus gathered energy, "it's my turn. Vex Vex Lo Jah! Twenty two fire arrows!"

Takamichi raised an eyebrow. Talus had cast a relatively high level fire spell without the incantation. That meant Talus' affinity, or one of them, was probably fire. Also, the fire released in the spell hadn't spread out afterwards into ravening streams of flames. Talus' concentration kept them condensed as compact shafts of heat.

Negi desperately launched some light arrows in retaliation and dodged away from his current position. Immediately, Talus leaped an astonishing distance and slashed at Negi's face. Negi ducked under the slash and right into Talus' rising knee. Talus followed up by batting Negi away with the flat of his sword blade.

Negi sprawled in the dirt, groaning in pain. Just as Talus began to sheathe his sword, Negi thrust out his hand. "Rastel Maskil Magister! Undecim lux lucis telum! Septem ventus telum! Three levitas telum! (Eleven light arrows! Seven wind arrows! Three lightning arrows!)" All twenty-one magical arrows blasted from Negi's hand and collided with Talus.

_Nicely done_ Takamichi and Talus both thought, _A multiple elements spell, pretty complicated._

Talus picked himself up off the ground and jabbed his hand at Negi.

"Trag'Oul valde extraho quisnam habitum orbis terrarum in suus tergum offendo mihi! (Trag'Oul the great dragon who holds the world on his back will strike for me where I cannot!) Talon of Trag'Oul!"

A large, heavily compacted spear of bone flared into existence right in front of his hand and flew at Negi. Takamichi's eyes bulged in his sockets and he quickly placed his hands in his pockets. Before either mage could do anything else, a giant explosion of power struck the bone spear in mid air and plowed it into a crater.

"Alright, that's quite enough" he said, "Talus-san, that last spell was unnecessary."

"I know," Talus said ruefully, "I just got caught up in the moment. I probably didn't have to use it in a simple spar."

"Huh?"

"Negi, the spell that Talus just used could have easily killed you on the grounds that it was a solid object and spiraling. The destructive power behind such an attack is beyond belief."

Negi paled and began sweating. Talus just smiled sheepishly.

"It's true; the Talon of Trag'Oul is a typical finishing move as it can penetrate almost any barrier. I probably shouldn't have used it, but I got a bit out of control. I'm not used to having opponents who aren't trying to kill me, meh."

Takamichi and Negi stared, a bit unnerved. Talus sighed in exasperation.

"Why does everyone react like this? I mean really; first Cassandra, then Ku-san and Kaede-san, then-"

"WHAT?!"

Talus sweatdropped, "Oh, yeah…about that… I kinda blew my cover yesterday trying to avoid Kaede-san's traps. I accidentally summoned my blade to block a monster shuriken that came out of the closet…" Takamichi sweatdropped, "God, that sounds so wrong."

"Anyway," Takamichi said, "It seems that you are stronger that Negi-kun right now. Would you mind training him to fight better?"

"Not at all" Talus said, "I'll teach him some spells. However, there are several; like the Fangs and Talon of Trag'Oul that I won't teach him yet. He's not ready."

"Agreed, Negi – are you alright with being taught by Talus-san?"

"Um, sure"

"Alright then" Negi turned to see Talus cracking his knuckles with a rather demonic gleam in his eye. He laughed evilly, "Let's get started."

* * *

Library

* * *

"My god, does she ever get tired of reading?" Haruna asked in exasperation as Cassandra tore through yet another book. This one was titled "Magic, The Basics" and looked as thick as a briefcase. A light laugh jolted Haruna out of her stunned daze.

"We've yet to see her get tired or sleep for that matter" Yue smirked as she sipped a coconut and avocado juice box. "All she's done so far is read, read, read."

"She's not even aware that we're talking about her right now, is she?" Haruna deadpanned.

Yue smiled, "Nope"

Suddenly Cassandra let out a snore, causing both girls to jump. Looking at her, Yue noticed that Cassandra's eyes had glazed over. Haruna absolutely freaked.

"The hell?! She can sleep READ?!" the girl demanded.

"Well, that's new. I wonder if she'll remember what she's reading after she wakes up." Yue said thoughtfully.

"ARRGH! This is just plain stupid!" Haruna ranted and jump-drop-kicked Cassandra in the head.

Or tried to, as Cassandra's right arm abruptly left the book she was reading and caught Haruna's foot. For three seconds Haruna hung in the air suspended by Cassandra's arm, then she crashed to the ground. The sound woke Cassandra, who jerked in surprise.

"H-Haruna-san?" She mumbled, "What're you doing on the floor? You should read this," She thrust Magic, The Basics into Haruna's hands, "It's got some great ways to deep fry food"

Haruna and Yue sweatdropped as they looked down at the chapter of the book.

How to Deep-Fry Food with Fire Spells.

Oh my _god…_

* * *

Later

The Forest

* * *

On normal days, Kaede would spend about two or three hours training in the forest. Then again, on normal days you don't hear a large series of explosions going off right next to your training grounds. So, on this abnormal day, Kaede found herself sneaking through the bushes in order to see what the heck was causing those explosions. She pushed aside a branch and her eyes widened.

"Good job dodging, Negi-san," Talus commended, "Now it's your turn; try fifty-three arrows."

Negi held his hand up and shouted, "Rastel Maskil Magister! Recolligo unto mihi ye phasmatis lux lucis. Veneficus Telum! Quinquaginta Three Lux lucis Telum! (Gather unto me ye spirits of light. Magic Arrows! Fifty-Three Light Arrows!)"

Talus leaped into the air as the magical projectiles bore down on him. He jumped from tree to tree and back to the ground to avoid the arrows, but finally he cast the Fangs of Trag'Oul to counter the remaining arrows that just wouldn't stop following him.

"Hey!" Negi complained, "That's cheating! You said we were supposed to dodge them not block them!"

"Yeah, but I can't make my arrows home in on you like you can" Talus retorted. "You've studied this spell more than I have." He paused and spat out something on the ground. "Sorry about that"

"What was that for?" Negi demanded.

"Huh? Oh, you mean that, I had to spit out the sunflower seeds; they lost their flavor"

Negi stared.

"Sunflower seeds?"

"Yes, I eat sunflower seeds" to demonstrate, Talus popped a dozen seeds into his mouth, stripped them of their shells, and spat the shells out in under ten seconds.

"You know, eating too many of them will damage your teeth, de-gozaru."

"Oh, no; I'm very careful…WAH! KAEDE-SAN?!"

Kaede had suddenly appeared right next to Talus, wearing her ninja gear and an easygoing smile.

"You guys aren't the most subtle people in the school, de-gozaru. I think that you've attracted a bit of unwanted attention, de-gozaru." Kaede threw a shuriken into a nearby bush, prompting a squeal of fear.

"Ahhh! Don't kill me Kaede-san! I'm too young to die, aru!" Talus, Negi, and Kaede all sighed.

"You can come out now, Ku-san" Talus sighed.

The bush rustled briefly and a slightly disheveled Ku Fei climbed out of the foliage, lightly clutching the shuriken in her hand.

"Kaede-san, that just mean, aru." Ku Fei complained.

"Well, you could have just come out, de-gozaru"

"I didn't want distract them, aru."

"They wouldn't have gotten distracted that easily, de-gozaru"

"Okay, stop there!" Talus said, "Ku-san, you keep saying 'aru' and Kaede-san keeps saying 'de-gozaru.' What do those words mean?"

Kaede smiled.

"Nothing"

Talus tripped and fell flat on his face.

"What?!"

"Many people who live in Japan add little snippets or words on to the end of their statements, de-gozaru. The words usually don't mean anything."

Negi, meanwhile, was staring in absolute shock at the two girls who had appeared and witnessed his magic. "lo…lo…"

He raised his staff, "LOSE YOUR MEMORIES!"

BOOM!

A giant cloud of smoke enveloped the girls and Talus, but something quickly blew it away. Negi's eyes bulged as he saw a rather large bird protecting them from his spell. The bird sported red eyes and golden feathers with a wingspan of at least five meters… and it was on fire.

"Wow, aru." Ku Fei whistled, "That a good block defense, aru."

"Negi-sensei, there's no need to erase our memories, de-gozaru" Kaede smiled (she's almost always smiling in the manga.) "We can keep a secret, de-gozaru. Besides, we've been exposed to magic before, de-gozaru."

"Yeah, did you not hear me when I said that I told Ku-san and Kaede-san about magic?"

"And anyway," Ku smiled and pinched Negi's cheek. "Negi-sensei's such a cute little mage, aru! You much cute as bozu, not ermine, aru." Unfortunately, when Ku turned away, her hair flicked across Negi's nose.

"Ah…ah…" Talus stared as Negi's face scrunched up.

"ATCHOO!" Negi's sneeze could not be described as normal. Because of his affinity to wind, Negi's sneezes could be compared to miniature gale-force gusts. This sneeze was so powerful, in fact, that it tore off Ku Fei's and Kaede Nagase's outer clothes. Talus tactfully covered his eyes as he realized that the girls had only their undergarments left.

Ku and Kaede sweatdropped before covering themselves in indignation.

"Wind element, Negi-san?" Talus asked wearily.

"Um, yes. I uh, I'm a wind user" Negi squeaked while covering his own eyes and blushing an astonishing shade of crimson.

"Oh god…" Talus mumbled, fishing around in his satchel. "Where are they…where are they- ah!"

Talus removed two travelling cloaks that he draped around Ku's and Kaede's shoulders.

"How much stuff you have in bag, aru?" Ku asked when she had wrapped the cloak around herself.

"Well; I've got a tent, some spare clothes, two dozen herb samples…" Talus stopped when he saw everyone's expressions. "I've placed an otherspace pocket into the bag. I can store about thirty kilos of weight in this bag. It's very useful."

"That cool, aru!" Ku said, "Can you make me one?"

"Sure" Talus smiled, "Give me three months, some spellweaving threads, a dozen Zod Runes, and the bag you want. I'd be glad to make it."

"Um…"

"Yeah, the materials are difficult to find. Let's go try to find a book on it in the library."

"Do they even have books like that?!" Negi practically squawked, "Where?"

"According to Cassandra; the library has books about anything and everything."

"Okay, we go, aru. But first; let's get new clothes Kaede-san!"

* * *

Library

* * *

"Is she still reading?"

"Yes"

"How long-"

"Four hours"

"Has she-"

"Gone to the bathroom or eaten? No."

"Isn't that-"

"Unhealthy? Yes"

"Are you-"

"Reading your mind? No"

Haruna sweatdropped as Yue went back to her reading of Magic, the Basics. Despite her ability to read at an advanced pace, Yue had yet to finish the first half of the book. This frustrated her, as the book seemed to be adding pages as she read just to spite her. (Which it probably is, lol)

"Why are you reading that book?"

"Because, it's written too well to be just a joke." Yue said, "I think that you can actually perform some of the stuff in here."

"Am I hearing this right? Yue Ayase, logic freak, now believes in magic? You're crossing over to the baka side Baka Black." Yue scowled at Haruna.

Haruna turned as the library doors clicked open. Ku Fei, Kaede Nagase, Negi, and Talus all walked in. The boys marveled at the size of the library while Haruna walked over to them.

"Hiya Ku-san, Kaede-san, Talus-san, Negi-sensei. Are you looking for anything specific?"

"Um yes," Talus said, "We're looking for the 'magical' section."

Haruna's eyes crossed and she collapsed to the ground.

"Nooooooooo! The 'magical reading craze' has spread throughout the school!"

Everyone sweatdropped as Haruna wept anime tears, even as she pointed the four in the direction of the 'magic section.'

* * *

A.N. So working on this so far, I've already been criticized once by **al103** who so kindly pointed out that in chapter 2 I claimed that Negi was "the only boy on the Mahora Campus" which he is not. Thanks for the heads-up by the way. Now, any of you who can fluently read and write Latin (or found a translator) will be cringing at some of the grammer, but hey, I'm running off a translator too! I also recieved a very nice review from **Kojiro Kun **who decided to tell me I was doing a good job.

My next chapter will probably take a little while, but it has the dodgeball match in it and it kicks off the Library Island event. Oh, and **al103**; if you happen to know the names of the high school girls who appear in that scene, do be a good person and tell me.

Ja ne

~Dusk Ado~


	5. Dodgeball Frenzy, Library visit

Chapter 5

Dodgeball Frenzy, Defend your Friends

* * *

Talus and Negi wearily looked through another set of English tests. So far, most of the class' grades had increased by about five or six points, not great but not bad. The Baka Rangers, on the other hand.

"I don't believe this!" Talus suddenly shouted. He laughed as he flourished a test in front of Negi. "Have a look!"

Negi did, and gaped at what he saw.

Yue Ayase; 99/100

"How how how-" Negi stammered.

"Yeah, I don't get it either; she scored terribly on the last test. A fifteen out of a hundred, I think." Talus shook his head in amazement, "Either she's a genius, crazy, or she cheated."

"Or" Negi added, "She's just not putting any value in school."

BAM! Both boys jumped as the door slammed open allowing Makie and Ako to rocket into the room.

"Negi-senseiiiii!" Makie whined, "The high school students are taking over our volleyball court!"

"Oh god…" Talus sighed, "Negi, it looks like we have a crisis on our hands. You and Makie-san should find Asuna-san and Ayaka-san, make sure they don't overreact and get themselves killed. I'll go find Cassandra, Kaede-san, Yue-san, and the other Baka Rangers."

"H-hey!" Ako protested, "What ab-bout me?"

"Oh, right!" Talus struck himself in the forehead. "You're… actually come to think of it, I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Talus Sohi" He gave a smile and a short bow. "And you are?"

"I'm A-a-ako" The shy girl mumbled.

"Well then Ako-san, you can help me find the Baka Rangers, since you probably know more about this school than I do."

"Um, s-sure" Ako mumbled.

The two parties went their separate ways.

* * *

Ten minutes later

* * *

"…but your junior high reputation means squat to us High School girls." One of the encroaching high schoolers sneered.

Asuna fumed, enraged by the simple taunt. She would have charged then and there had the door to the field not opened. Out of the door came Negi-sensei, Ako, Makie, Ku Fei, Kaede, Yue, Nodoka, Haruna, Cassandra, and Talus thus increasing the size of class 2-A and co. to twenty three.

Cassandra stepped forward, "You girls do know that you have your own court at your campus. There's really no reason for you to be here…unless you wish to provoke a fight."

"The young lady has a point."

All heads turned as Takamichi calmly walked out onto the court as well.

"This type of behavior is frowned upon at Mahora. Your behavior disgraces me, your former sensei. Was that your intention? To disgrace me?"

Talus, Negi, and Cassandra watched in awe as Takamichi proceeded to effectively dismantle the resolve of a dozen high school girls in ten seconds flat.

"Well, since you're here; we might as well have a little friendly competition eh? Class 2-A and co versus Class 2-D in a dodgeball match, what do you say?"

Obviously, nobody would or could disagree with their precious Takahata-sensei, so three minutes later, the volleyball nets had been taken down and a dodgeball court set up.

Since they were outnumbered almost 2-1, 2-D started with the ball. Their captain drew back her arm, preparing for a blistering throw…but at the last moment lightly tossed the ball and hit three students. Before anyone could get the ball, another high schooler had retrieved it and hit an additional four 2-A students. In less than a minute, more than half the class was eliminated by these light tosses, until the score stood at 2-D: 12 to 2-A: 11.

"You're next, shaggy hair!"

Nodoka gasped and covered her head as the ball bore down on her.

"Asuna-san, for god's sake; do something!" Negi called out.

As if from nowhere, Asuna appeared in front of Nodoka and caught the ball. Scowling, she hurled it directly at 2-D's captain with all her might.

BOOM!

Asuna and the rest of 2-A gaped as the girl effortlessly caught the ball.

"Yep, about what I expected from you." She smirked, "The fact is; you've got no chance against us, because we're THE BLACK LILYS! The championship dodgeball team!" Laughing, she hurled the ball back at 2-A, only much, much harder than Asuna had.

KA-BOOM!

In a shocking reversal, the high school girls were the ones gaping as Talus jumped in front of Asuna and easily caught the throw.

"Sad" Talus smirked, shaking his head. "Sad, sad, sad. Your throws aren't nearly as strong as I had thought. Now take THIS!"

WHACK!

One of the girls from 2-D collapsed, winded from the shot to the stomach. But she had caught the ball, barely.

"That HURT!" She shrieked, winging the ball at a helpless Nodoka. "Got you now, shaggy!"

BOOM!

This time Cassandra blocked the hit, with only a little more effort than Talus had.

"Your shots are way too predictable; you've got to try something else!"

THUNK!

Another girl from 2-D crashed to the floor, totally knocked out from the shot to the head. The ball arced high into the air after its impact.

"Ku-san, now!" Talus shouted.

"Got it, aru." Ku leaped into the air, impossibly high. While in the air she twisted around and brutally kicked the ball towards the ground, actually towards 2-D. The remaining ten girls only just moved out of the way.

"Got you now!"

But again they were denied as Asuna caught the ball, albeit skidding back a bit. Her return shot hit two of the girls via ricochet. The game progressed in that manner, with 2-A's students demonstrating some very strange skills. That's not to say they were ineffective, as within fifteen minutes of the game starting, class 2-D's "championship team" had been entirely defeated.

"No! Impossible!" The high-school captain gasped. Her eyes narrowed, "Those freaks and Asuna gave them hope, so I'll give little miss 'powerhouse' a concussion!" She leaped into the air and hurled the ball with all her might.

Negi's eyes widened as he saw the scene unfold right in front of him. _She's going to hit Asuna-san from behind!_

Before everyone's astonished eyes, Negi jumped in and actually caught the ball, without any visable effort. Asuna's eyes widened.

"N-negi?"

Angry at the high schoolers for their dishonorable tactics, Negi let his self-control slip, just a bit. The ball in his hands began whirling furiously.

"That wasn't very NICE!" He shouted, launching the ball through the air right at the high school captain. The power of the wind he had infused into the ball exploded out into a semi-visible cyclone that tore apart the high school students' outer clothes.

Talus tactfully covered his eyes, his cheeks flaming. "I see nothing, I see nothing…" He chanted to himself as the girls laughed at him.

Meanwhile, the high school girls retreated in total embarrassment.

* * *

One week later

* * *

"So Shizuna, how do you think Negi is doing as a teacher thus far?"

"Very well, headmaster-sensei," Shizuna replied, "He seems to be able to motivate his students incredibly well; why Yue Ayase went from a 15/100 to a 99/100 in only a few extra sessions. I strongly recommend that you give him a passing grade for the time being."

"Very good," the Headmaster said as he stood. He turned to face Shizuna, but collided with her ample chest. "Who turned out the lights?"

Shizuna sweatdropped, "I'm right here Headmaster-sensei."

"Ah, very good." He said as he backed up a pace. "Well then, I've got these papers for Negi; they are his final test for becoming a teacher. Please deliver them to him for me."

"Of course sir"

* * *

"Negi-sensei, I can't take this anymore!" Asuna shouted as she handed a fifth test to the ten year old mage. "I've got these verb things down perfectly. 'I am' 'you are' he/she is' 'we/you/they are' so how am I still failing these tests?!"

Negi finished grading the test, looked up, and smiled. Asuna glared in response.

"What now?"

"Well," Negi began, "Out of fifty total questions, you scored correctly…" He paused for dramatic effect.

"Let me guess; five" Asuna moaned, "I am so stupid, I can't do anything right!"

"Actually Asuna-san, you scored a fifty out of fifty!" Negi beamed. "I'd say you're doing great!"

"Well…you…kinda helped…a lot…" Asuna mumbled, thunderstruck.

"No, it was mostly your effort Asuna-san. You believed in yourself and you excelled. You just need more self confidence."

"Good," Asuna mumbled, "Now can I go to bed?! It's past midnight!"

Negi sheepishly looked at the clock. Indeed, it was past midnight.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that Asuna-san. We should be in bed." Negi said, yawning hugely.

* * *

The next morning

* * *

For most of Mahora Academy, Thursday morning begins with people dragging themselves out of bed, eating breakfast, and getting ready for class. But for Asuna, Negi, and Konoka, the day began with an earsplitting scream.

"EEEEEEEEEEEHH!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?!?!" Asuna bellowed after waking to find her newest roommate cuddled up next to her in bed, fast asleep.

Negi blinked sleepily, "Huh…mnh…sis? Whoa!" As he finally noticed where he was, Negi began frantically apologizing. "Asuna-san, I'm so sorry! I just used to s-sleep in the same room as my big sister a-and I just…"

Asuna, now that the shock had faded, sighed in exasperation.

"What do I have to do? Tie you to the couch? Nah, you'd probably suffocate trying to get out and up to me."

* * *

_Okay, today's going to be interesting._ Talus thought as he, Cassandra, and their roommates gathered at the front door of Negi's classroom.

Neither they, nor Negi had found books divulging the location of the materials for the otherspace pocket in all their time at the library, much to Cassandra's shock. She had gone to the dean and asked why the library didn't have such a book, only to hear that maybe that book happened to be on Library Island. Needless to say; Cassandra's eyes had lit up and she had run off to tell Yue and Nodoka about her discovery.

When she was informed that Yue and Nodoka already knew about Library Island, Cassandra's expression could be described only as one who has gone insane over an obsession. (Think Haruna's expression after Yue forms a Pactio with Negi in the manga.) Her roommates immediately arranged a trip to Library Island for that afternoon. So, naturally, Talus found himself cornered by Cassandra mere minutes later and informed rather eerily that he was going too.

"I hope Negi-sensei will come with us" Konoka said sunnily, causing Talus and Cassandra to jump as they hadn't noticed her arrival.

"Oh, hi Konoka-san," Yue said, "Why are you here yourself? Where are Asuna-san and Negi-sensei?"

"Oh, they'll be along…"

Shouts echoed down the hallway.

"Negi-senseiiiiiiiii! Come back here!"

"God, leave him alone Ayaka!"

A slap and a shriek of rage followed, as well as thundering footsteps.

"Now" finished Konoka as Asuna and a slightly panicked Negi rounded the corner at breakneck speed.

"A-Asuna-san, why'd you do that?" Negi asked breathlessly, "Thanks for saving me and all, but can you explain your actions?"

Asuna's eyes glinted dangerously, "Let's just say you shouldn't find out about that sort of thing that Ayaka-baka was trying to do for another five to ten years."

Haruna popped her head out of the classroom door.

"Oh? My doujin-material sense is tingling! Where is it?!" Asuna paled and bashed Haruna into the ground.

"DON'T! Don't you ever explain that…that filth to Negi-sensei!" She seethed, "The school doesn't need another ero-baka!"

Negi watched the exchange warily; so far Asuna had hit two people today and neither of them was him, strange. While he did this, Talus tried to take charge.

"Okay class" He said, "everybody please go in and take your seats."

"Sure Talus-sensei" Ku Fei winked at him as she walked through the doorway.

"Whatever" Yue sighed, following.

The rest of the class seemed to follow Yue's state of mind; disinterest, but they did go inside.

* * *

In class

* * *

"Alright" Negi smiled invitingly at the class, "Who can translate this passage into English?"

Four hands shot up; Chao Lingshen's, Konoka's, Ayaka's, and Asuna's. Negi smiled even brighter.

"Chao-san, could you please translate it?"

"Sure" Chao smiled and recited the passage back in English. She made quite a few mistakes, though, no doubt a result of her Chinese roots. Ayaka was only too eager to point the mistakes out, much to Chao's displeasure. After Ayaka finished, Negi cleared his throat.

"Very good Class Rep-san, however you made one mistake in your translation. Konoka-san; can you identify it?"

"Sure!" Konoka said brightly, "Ayaka-san said 'She _am_ a beautiful princess' and it should have been 'She _is_ a beautiful princess'."

Asuna suddenly zoned out, her mind leaving the class and whirling through many, many fragmented 'memories.'

_Takahata-sensei and young-Asuna practicing some sort of magic by the sea. Nagi laughing and pointing out their flaws, only to be bashed into the ground a moment later._

_Takahata-sensei and young-Asuna setting up camp in the forest. Two unknown men mock-fighting in the next clearing. A blade flying towards Takahata-sensei, only to be deflected by young-Asuna with her bare hand._

_Takahata-sensei and young-Asuna crying as they stood over the bloody, broken body of a man that looked like an older Takamichi._

These and many more memories flew through Asuna's mind and fit into forgotten places, all in the span of several seconds. She blinked rapidly, clearing her head, as Negi called on her.

"Asuna-san, can you translate the next passage?" He smiled and Asuna nodded.

"Okay, sure" Asuna carefully read over the passage before standing and reciting it all back.

When she finished, Negi's smile was threatening to split his face in half.

"A perfect translation Asuna-san. Good job; I see your studying has been very helpful."

Asuna sat down, smiling. Ayaka turned around, stunned.

"How did you do that?!"

"Two hours of studying a night with Negi-sensei hovering over me the whole time does wonders for my grades." Asuna smiled, "Negi-sensei's actually a really good teacher."

The rest of the class went by uneventfully, with no fights, arguments, or screaming. Afterwards, Talus and Cassandra approached Negi about the trip to Library Island. Negi approved, on the condition that he could accompany them.

Somehow in the next hour Makie and Asuna also found out about the trip, and with a little persuasion, or intimidation in Asuna's case, the entirety of the Baka Rangers found themselves accompanying the Library Expedition club. The trip would start on Friday afternoon.

* * *

Friday Afternoon

* * *

"Okay, so are you all ready to go?" Negi asked as the final members of the exploration group gathered.

A chorus of affirmative responses later, the group was off; a train shuttle getting them about 9/10 of the way. After they finished walking the rest of the way, Negi turned to the group, smiling.

"So, where shall we go first?"

Several of the Baka Rangers pointed out different sections of the library, so Negi and his assistants split up into three groups and headed off in different directions. Negi, Asuna (Baka Red), and Makie (Baka Pink) ended up in the gymnastics section which happened to be right next to the art section. Talus, Ku (Baka Yellow), and Kaede (Baka Blue) headed to the Martial Arts section. Cassandra, Yue (Baka Black), Haruna, Konoka, and Nodoka walked over…somewhere, anywhere, so long as it had books.

Negi found himself happily digging into several books related to architectural styles in old England when Talus suddenly went rigid for a few moments, turning pale as ash. Before anyone could even flinch, Talus collapsed limply on the ground. A second later, the same thing happened to Cassandra. As everyone rushed over to see if they were alright, Negi felt a surge of incredibly strong magic run through the fallen pair. Strong…and dark.

"H-hey!" He cried, "Everyone back up! Give them some space to breathe!"

As the girls mumbled and backed away, Negi extended some of his magic power into his eyes, enabling him to see what had actually happened to the two. What he saw blew him away, figuratively that is.

Talus' magical aura, normally a deep, dark blue was shot through with jagged bolts of scarlet energy. Cassandra's aura, while a slightly different color, had come under similar assault. The red energy seethed with a dark hatred so powerful that Negi backed up a step involuntarily. The red lightning writhed across Talus' aura burning itself into his arms and leaving visible scars while "Cassandra's" lightning carved jagged lines across her face, two bolts struck her eyes, causing her to jump in pain.

Suddenly, the energy paused, as if confused. White light engulfed both teen's auras in a brilliant flash. When it faded, Negi gasped at what he saw.

Talus' magical aura had changed in color. Instead of its former dark blue, it was now a swirling, changing mass of verdant green and sky blue. Cassandra's had also changed, going from azure to pure gold.

Cutting off his magical vision, Negi noticed that the scars on Talus' arms still lingered, pale against the rest of his skin. Cassandra, however, seemed to have come under no such problems. The scarlet energy had faded, and with it the dark presence. Negi knew that he had to take some seriously quick action if Talus and Cassandra were going to survive.

"We've got to get them help!" Negi shouted, "They might be seriously hurt, we need to get them to the infirmary!"

Asuna began barking out rapid-fire orders.

"Haruna-san, Nodoka-san, run ahead and warn the infirmary that we're coming." The two girls in question nodded as they tore down the pathway to the main doors.

"Kaede-san, Ku-san, can you two carry Cassandra-san?"

"No problem, aru!" Ku grinned as she and Kaede easily lifted Cassandra into a four-armed-chair carry.

"Konoka, Negi-sensei, help me with Talus-san."

"Yue-san, Makie-san, if either group needs help, I need you to step in, okay?"

"No problem, Baka Red," Makie chirped, causing Asuna to glare at her dangerously.

As the girls and Negi carried Talus and Cassandra back to the train, Konoka turned her head to look at Negi.

"Negi-bozu, what the heck was with you this morning, crawling into Asuna's bed like that?"

"_What?!"_ Makie, Ku, and Yue yelped in unison.

"It's nothing like that!" Asuna shouted, cheeks burning, "He just…sleepwalks and thinks I'm his big sister who helped raise him, that's all."

Konoka giggled, "Is it true, Negi-sensei? Does Asuna look like your sister?"

"Sort of" Negi responded, "More so when she has her hair down, but she also smells very similar." His face became thoughtful.

"It's really a wonderful smell, sort of a mix between roses and vanilla…maybe some ginger…"

Needless to say, Asuna was blushing pure crimson by this time and Konoka was staring at Asuna with mischievous, twinkling eyes. Negi had mentally wandered off into his own world, a gentle smile on his face.

* * *

They reached the infirmary with almost no hassle. Nodoka and Haruna had done a good job and then some; clearing out the hallways between the station and the infirmary. The nurse on duty, Ako, had put both Talus and Cassandra into separate beds and begun examining them. She had sighed in relief when she realized that there was no blood on either of them.

"So…they just collapsed? No real symptoms or problems beforehand?" Ako asked.

"No, they just crashed to the ground…almost like they had died." Asuna responded, "What's wrong with them?"

"As far as I can tell…nothing. They don't have fevers, they're not seizuring, their temperatures are normal, Talus-san's scars aren't infected, everything is fine. By all rights they should be up and about right now!"

As if Ako could work verbal miracles, both patients woke up at that moment. Their reactions, though, were very concerning. Cassandra immediately screamed and clamped her hands over her eyes.

"Too bright! Too bright!" She wailed and Ako hurriedly shut off the lights and closed the blinds.

"Cassandra-san, it's okay, the lights are out now." Makie piped up.

Cassandra carefully removed her hands from her eyes, prompting gasps from everyone. Her eyes had changed color (again). Negi's eyebrow rose when he saw that Cassandra's eyes were golden, just like her new magical aura.

Talus, on the other hand, had just stared blankly at the ceiling. He kept saying, over and over, "He took it…it's gone."

"Out, out, everyone out!" Ako shouted abruptly, forcing everyone from the room except for the two patients.

As the door slammed behind them, Asuna asked Negi, "What was that about?"

* * *

About half an hour later everyone had left with the exception of Negi and Asuna. Takamichi had stopped by, and was surprised when Negi described what had happened, complete with his extra observations. Finally, Ako opened the door again, ushering Negi and Asuna inside.

She faced the two and took a deep breath.

"I'm afraid that I don't know what's happened to either of them, but I can say that Cassandra-san has somehow had her eyesight improved to an amazing degree. I did tests with her and she could read the bottom line of the chart…with her eyes closed and blindfolded! Talus-san…I've got nothing. He did ask to talk to you two though." She walked out of the room. "He said it was important, something that only you should hear."

As soon as the door closed, Talus was up and in their face.

"He took it! My powers are gone!" He hissed

* * *

A.N. Ho hum... Chapter 5. I did manage to make the chapter quite a bit longer, so good for me. XD

If anyone has a suggestion...or suggestions, I'm open to them.

Oh, and FYI to all you flamers out there; I'm a pyromaniac...hehehe FIRE!!! I don't get bothered by them.

First poll;

In a fanfiction, is it acceptable for an author to make any emmendations they see fit to the normal storyline as long as the main story stays intact and the characters remain IC?


	6. Study hard! The final exam is tomorrow!

Chapter 6

Study hard! The final exam is tomorrow!

* * *

"Oh Negi-kun!" Shizuna called out, "I have a message for you from the headmaster!"

Negi accepted the letter and freaked out when he saw the words "FINAL CHALLENGE" printed on the front.

[_What?! Nobody said anything about a final challenge! What could this be? Do I have to vanquish an evil dragon? Acquire two hundred attack spells? All my work will be useless if I fail this…]_

Negi:

If 2-A does not finish last this year, you will become a teacher.

Headmaster Konoe

Negi's mouth dropped open.

_[What? Haul them out of last place by Monday?!]_ "That's-that's…" He sputtered.

"That's…what?" Shizuna asked politely.

"That's…easier than I expected actually." Negi laughed, "Easier than fighting dragons…"

Ten minutes later, Negi had laid out a rather brutal study plan for his class. It involved suspending most club activities, using up otherwise free time, and forming small study groups. After some initial grumbling, the class was rallied by Ayaka, who claimed that if the class studied hard enough they could make first place. Asuna mumbled something under her breath that Negi couldn't make out, but whatever it was; it provoked another fight.

Negi sighed, "Asuna-san, Ayaka-san, please stop fighting, it's unbecoming of you. Asuna-san, you'll be in a group with Ku-san, Makie-san, and Kaede-san. Ayaka-san, you'll be with the Narutakis and Hasegawa-san. Cassandra-san, Asakura-san, Ako-san, and…Sayo-san appears to be absent, but she'll be in your study group." Negi grouped the rest of the class into groups of three, four, or five. As they split up, he stopped Cassandra.

"Cassandra-san, where's Talus-san? Why isn't he here?"

Cassandra laughed lightly, and her eyes glittered behind the sunglasses she now wore.

"He's desperately trying to invent some new spells to replace the ones he lost. Tyreal took all of his offensive spells away, except his handful of fire and dark spells, and he's unable to relearn any of his… unique skills that he had as a n…as an older mage."

Cassandra's expression remained outwardly calm, but inside, she was panicking.

_I almost said "as a necromancer." I can't let that slip!_

Negi smiled as he watched his class get to work studying. Several students came to him with questions, but they were minor, just small things. By the end of the first study period, Negi was fairly sure that everyone had definitely improved by at least five points on the exam.

"Alright everyone!" Negi said, smiling broadly, "If you all keep up with this vigilance, I'll bet that class 2-A will take first place for sure!"

A chorous of cheers came from the girls before they left for lunch. As soon as the room had emptied of all non-magical personel, Cassandra walked over to Sayo's seat, sat down next to it, and smiled.

"Hello Sayo-san, I'm Cassandra Wrensworth, it's nice to meet you. I must say, you're not exactly what I expected when I first noticed you were a ghost."

* * *

Sayo almost fell out of her chair when Cassandra started talking to her.

"H-h-h-h-how can you see m-me?" She squeaked in fright. Then she smiled shyly, "N-n-n-nobody's ever talked to me b-before."

Cassandra smiled before using magic to turn off the classroom light and close the blinds. She took off her sunglasses and Sayo gave a little gasp. To her, a ghost, Cassandra's eyes swirled with bright light that bathed her entire face in an effulgent glow.

"Well," Cassandra said, "Let's just say I've got really good eyes."

"Wo~~w" Sayo sighed blissfully, unable to look away. The light was so pretty…

"I suspect you've become rather lonely as a ghost" Cassandra said, recovering her eyes to Sayo's disappointment. "I've always wanted to be able to see and talk to a ghost myself. So, how about it; would you be my friend?"

"Y-yes! Of course!" Sayo said happily.

* * *

BOOM!

Kaede sighed as the fifth explosion for that minute went off in the clearing next to her. Apparently today wasn't going to be a normal day either.

"Damnit!" Talus shouted angrily as his attempted spell failed yet again. He charged up his energy and launched another set of fire arrows.

"Saggita Magi-"BOOM!

As soon as the magic disconnected from Talus' hand, it exploded; the backlash blasting Talus off his feet. Before he hit the ground, though, a pair of arms caught him. Talus' head whipped around, only to collide with something…very soft.

"Are you okay de-gozaru?"

Talus' mind surged into overdrive; if Kaede was the one who caught him…then his head… was probably resting on her…His eyes flew open. Not good!

Kaede giggled as Talus rapidly leaped away from her. His face had gone beet red and he was sweating profusely.

"K-K-Kaede-san! I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Talus sputtered.

"What was, de-gozaru?" Kaede asked cheekily.

"I – well, when I – that is – um, I – Oh forget it!"

Kaede giggled again. Her mother was right; act clueless in a situation like that and the guy involved falls apart.

"What's wrong? You seemed frustrated, de-gozaru."

Talus sighed.

"I've been trying to work on new spells to replace the ones that I lost, but for some reason; every time I try, the spell blows up in my face. It's always just after the spell leaves my hand."

"Hmm… Maybe if you don't let it leave your hand, it'll work," Kaede suggested.

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Talus asked, "Do you know how I could do that?"

"Nope" Kaede laughed, "you'll have to figure it out yourself, de-gozaru."

Smiling, Kaede walked away, leaving Talus to practice…after he got up from his position, face-first on the ground.

* * *

"Okay, now this has gone too far!" Haruna growled to herself, "Okay fine; I can accept that she can sleep read, I can accept that she reads while doing almost everything. But this is ridiculous; she's holding a conversation with herself while she's walking along, with her nose in a book, and wearing sunglasses…at night!"

"Of course! I think that Talus-san would appreciate the advice for his practice, what about you?" Cassandra paused, as if listening, and put her book away. "I know, what is it with boys? They never think of things like that, even if it's completely obvious."

"CASSANDRA!" Haruna screamed right in her ear.

"AHH!" Cassandra lashed out reflexively and bashed Haruna in the chest. When she realized that it was only Haruna, she gulped sheepishly.

"Um, sorry Paru-san." She said, removing her glasses, "You just startled me and I…"

Haruna was gaping and pointing at something, or more accurately someone behind Cassandra.

"C-Cassandra-san! Look out behind you!"

Cassandra turned and saw nothing out of the ordinary where Haruna was pointing. There was Sayo-san, the tree behind her, and the streetlight. Cassandra turned back to Haruna.

"Look out for what?"

"That glowing, floating person-looking thing behind you!"

"Oh, her" Cassandra said dismissively, "That's just Sayo-san…wait a second; you can see her?"

Haruna got back to her feet and hesitantly walked over to Sayo. The closer she got, the clearer the girl appeared to her until she seemed almost totally opaque.

"Wow! It IS Sayo-san, hi! We all thought you were just being homeschooled or something. We didn't realize that you were…a….ghost?" Haruna's speech grew halting as the situation sank in.

"Um, Haruna-san?" Sayo said.

"And…you can…talk…" Haruna's eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed.

"Oh great" Cassandra grumbled, "Now we have to-" KA-BOOM!

Cassandra looked towards the forest just in time to dodge the giant shuriken that came flying out of the woods. Right behind it came Talus and Kaede.

"YES! I DID IT!" He shouted. Then he noticed Cassandra.

"Cassandra! I did it, I regained use of my magic! Watch!" He stooped down, grabbed a stone, and hurled it into the air. As it came down, Talus flung his hand skyward.

"Adeat!" Talus' sword burst into existence, wreathed in blue mist. He gathered energy and moved the sword into a defensive position. "Asura! Spirit Blade!"

The sword glowed briefly along the blade, then a burst of light emitted from it, and reduced the stone to sand.

"Yes!" Talus grinned, "It works! I've been trying to improve the strength of it, but this is as far as I can cast right now."

"Wo~~w!" Sayo sighed. To her, Talus' sword shone with the same brilliance that Cassandra's eyes had.

"I think I get it," Cassandra smirked, "You're focusing your energy into your sword before releasing it…"

"…and using the magic in the blade as a conductor." Talus finished, "Oh, hi Sayo-san" he commented offhandedly. The girl tripped and fell.

Sayo gasped, "Y-you can see me too?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I? Almost any mage of mentionable power can see ghosts."

"I think that I can see her because of the way my eyes have changed." Cassandra offered, "I can't really use much of any magic anymore, but my eyes…they're so much more powerful. Still, they won't help much if I've only got a sword. Adeat!" Cassandra's eyes widened when, instead of a sword, she ended up grasping an unstrung bow.

"While that, on the other hand…" Talus remarked, "If you could somehow get ahold of arrows, your vision would be insanely useful."

"I'll help!" Sayo piped up.

* * *

The next day (Exam is Tomorrow)

* * *

"Say what?!" Ayaka screeched, "If we finish last, Negi-sensei gets fired?"

"Pretty much," Cassandra said plainly, "I heard it myself from a very reliable source; if class 2-A finishes in last place this year, Negi Springfield will be dismissed from the school staff."

Cassandra's source happened to be floating behind her shoulder, unseen by everyone else. Sayo had volunteered to gather as much information as possible regarding Negi, Asuna, Konoka, and Setsuna. Her searches had turned up a ton of interesting information so far. Konoka had enough magical energy contained in her to blow apart the entire school. Setsuna's hair and eye color were actually white; she dyed her hair and used colored contacts. Negi had been assigned to the teaching job to learn from his students and to let his imagination and potential flourish.

Asuna's files, on the other hand, had come up with surprisingly little information. She had been brought to Mahora by Takamichi when she was only a young child. Her location of birth, parents, and family tree were all unknown. One interesting fact that Sayo did uncover was that Asuna possessed an innate Magic Cancel; that is, nearly all spells would be ineffective against her.

"Anyway, we've all got to study harder!" Ayaka proclaimed, "We'll not only get out of last place, we'll finish first! That means you especially, Baka Rangers!"

"Wahoo! Study trip!" Makie shouted, "Baka Rangers, assemble!"

You could hear a needle drop in the embarrassed silence that followed.

"Um…Makie-san?" Negi said hesitantly.

"Yes, Negi-sensei?"

"The exam is in one day, we don't have time for a field trip. The most you could do would be to go and spend some quality time in the library."

As several people began to enthusiastically group together and study, one particular weapon-toting girl felt something poke her in the shoulder. Turning, Setsuna noticed a paper crane floating by her head. Her eyes widened and she crushed the bird in her hand.

She opened up the bird, revealing a note from Talus.

Setsuna-san

I have noticed that you carry a bokken with you wherever you go. I have assumed that you know something of sword fighting and Kendo, and I wondered if you might be willing to help me improve my own skills. In exchange for your help, I will deliver a message to you from your father, Tyreal. Meet me at the kendo ring after class if you wish.

Talus Sohi

Setsuna's breath caught in her throat. How did he know her father? Who was he? Did he know about-

"Se-chan… Se-chan… SE-CHAN!!" Setsuna shrieked as she snapped back to reality to find Konoka hovering only inches from her face.

"O-ojou-sama? Did you want something?" Setsuna asked, still a bit shell-shocked.

"Class is over Se-chan!" Konoka sang, "I'm going to study with Asuna and Negi-sensei. Would you like to come with me Se-chan?"

"I-I can't" Setsuna said firmly, "I have to meet someone at the kendo ring."

"Great!" Konoka said, "I'll come too! Studying can wait."

Setsuna's eyes widened as Konoka grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her down the hall.

* * *

"He's a genius!"

"Hm, you think so?"

"Well, he's been tasked to protect the Avian and Konoka as well as Negi and the Princess."

"So, he's going to expose magic to Konoka?"

"I don't think he banked on that, it's just a coincidence. Since his magic potential has been sealed into his sword, he needs to learn how to maximize his skill with it."

"And how does he plan to make Setsuna reveal her true form?"

"I have no idea…"

"Wha-?"

"Let's go watch. And, Evangeline, please get up off the floor."

* * *

_She's not here yet…perfect_

Talus hefted the bokken he had been issued, getting used to the weight. He scoped the field, disappointed.

"Hm, no terrain changes, no obstacles, no elevation variation…how is this considered a good way to practice?!"

"Because, unlike you and I, the other members don't carry their weapon everywhere with them."

Talus whirled about to face the speaker. Then he smiled.

"Glad you could make it Setsuna-san. And you brought Konoka-sama with you, hello." He bowed to them both.

"Se-chan! Be sure you win!" Konoka chided playfully.

"Good idea, a warm up to assess our skills." Talus stepped into the ring and raised his bokken into a defensive position.

"I'll bet you last…three minutes, maximum" Setsuna took her stance for less than a second, then she charged.

* * *

Talus raised his bokken in response, blocking Setsuna's opening strike. She batted it aside, his parry totally useless.

WHACK! CRACK! WHACK! WHOOSH!

Talus ducked Setsuna's wide slash. His left arm hung useless, his ribs burned, his head ached; all results of Setsuna's relentless assault. And it happened in less than five seconds.

"Damn, you've got a really powerful swing Setsuna-san" Talus complimented as he sidestepped the next strike. "I didn't expect you to be-" WHACK! SLAM! "-so good. I guess that's my-" CRACK! THWACK! "-own fault."

WHOOSH! A quick lunge from Talus.

KA-CRACK! Setsuna turned the bokken aside easily, before countering with an overhead slash.

CRACK! Talus barely deflected the strike before – WHACK! – Setsuna began pressing the attack again.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK! Talus sweated and panicked as blow after blow after blow rained down upon him. He knew that the only reason that he still stood was because of his former master and his exhaustive instruction in swordplay. But the bokken didn't handle like the sword he was used to, and Talus found using it awkward. Scrambling for ideas, Talus leaped back from Setsuna and raised the sword in both hands.

"The fires of magic burn in my veins, and I offer them up in exchange for your aid! Asura! Spirit Blade!" Setsuna's eyes widened as a purple-orange flame flickered across Talus' boken.

_He's using magic in a casual spar?! What's he thinking? Ojou-sama doesn't know about magic, what do I do?_

"Emitem!! Incendia Obscurum!"

Her thoughts were interrupted as a burst of multicolored fire detached from Talus' boken and flew at her. Setsuna leaped to the side and charged again.

FWOOSH! Another flaming gob, launched by Talus, struck a glancing blow on her kimono. Setsuna hastily beat it out, only to duck under the next emission.

"Wow!" Konoka gasped, "He's like a magician!"

_Damn!_ Setsuna thought desperately, _I can't even get close to him without…_

ZIP! Step!

"Instant Movement!"

Suddenly Setsuna was behind Talus. He looked back in astonishment.

"What?"

WHACK!

Talus stumbled and shouted out as Setsuna's boken struck across his back.

Step! WHACK!

A flicker of movement and Talus' balance was gone.

THUD! Talus hit the floor and lost consciousness.

"Yay! Se-chan won!" Konoka appeared out of nowhere and glomped Setsuna. The swordswoman's face flushed crimson in a second.

"Ojou-sama? W-what are you doing?"

"Giving you a hug, Se-chan! You won!"

A flash of red light obscured Setsuna's vision. When it cleared she screamed.

Konoka lay on the ground, stabbed through the heart and forehead. Blood spurted from both wounds profusely. Konoka's eyes had glazed over, well and truly dead.

"NO! Ojou-sama!" Setsuna held Konoka's body in her arms for a moment before she turned to look at Talus.

He was upright, his white hair blowing about his face wildly despite the lack of wind. His eyes had darkened, and he held a real sword in his hand. Blood freely stained the metal…Konoka's blood.

"I didn't lose" he laughed darkly, **"I NEVER lose!"**

With a scream of rage, Setsuna pulled on the hilt of her bokken, revealing the hidden blade. Sword in hand, vengeance in heart, rage in control, Setsuna's illusion broke.

Revealing her huge white wings.

"For what you have done, you will DIE!" Like an enraged harpy, Setsuna flew right at her enemy.

* * *

As Setsuna wildly attacked, two more spectators restrained a shocked Konoka.

"Listen Konoka-san, you can't stop her right now! She's caught in an illusion, she thinks you're dead." Takahata loostened his grip as Konoka stopped struggling.

"T-Takahata-sensei?" Konoka pointed a quivering finger at Setsuna. "Are Se-chan's wings real?"

"Yes they are" The other spectator smirked, "Setsuna's wings are an integral part of her, which is why she seems so uncomfortable sitting in class without them."

"The fight she's going through is totally imagined" Talus said as he walked over to the small group. He pointed over to the ring where Setsuna slashed and parried, fighting some unseen foe. "In her mind, she is fighting against what she fears most."

* * *

**"You cannot hope to match me!"** Talus roared, launching another blast of fire at Setsuna, who only just dodged. **"You cannot run, you cannot hide, accept your fate! Not even death will save you from me!"**

Setsuna gasped as Talus' flesh began peeling off his face. He reached up and tore the rest off…revealing Konoka's face underneath.

"Se-chan…" Even his voice had changed to Konoka's, "Se-chan, why didn't you save me? Wasn't your training to protect me?"

Setsuna's breath caught in her throat. "N-no…"

Konoka's eyes turned red, "If you wouldn't save my life, I'll just….TAKE YOURS!"

Setsuna collapsed in despair. _I've failed..._

Her vision faded as Konoka lunged for her, fanged mouth open wide.

* * *

Talus' eyes bulged, "Okay, that's not good! Dispel!"

"Reality" broke down and Setsuna returned to the real world as the illusion shattered. She slumped to the ground, crying.

"Well," Evangeline smirked, "I must say, that illusion was truly evil, turning her greatest fear into a reality. You've got some potential, boy."

"That wasn't what I planned!" Talus moaned, "She's probably traumatized now!"

"Se-chan! Se-chan! Are you okay?" Konoka ran over to Setsuna and engulfed her in a hug. "It's okay Se-chan, it was just an illusion."

Setsuna slowly opened her eyes.

"Ojou…sama?" She asked feebly. "You're…alright?"

"I'm fine Se-chan, I was worried about you." Konoka said, then she smiled cheekily. "I didn't know you had wings Se-chan."

Setsuna's eyes widened in terror and she brought her hands to her mouth as her eyes teared up.

"I-I'm sorry Ojou-sama, I didn't want you to find out about this-"

"Se-chan…"

"I was afraid you'd hate me if you found out-"

"Se-chan!"

"I tried to get stronger in order too protect you-"

"SE-CHAN!!"

"But I'm still weak and pathetic-"

SMACK!

"BAKA!"

Setsuna slumped in shock and despair, lightly holding her cheek.

_I knew it; Ojou-sama hates me now. I knew it would hap-_

Setsuna's train of thought derailed as Konoka hugged her again.

"Baka…Se-chan, I like them. Your wings are beautiful, just like an angel."

Setsuna's look of astonishment changed to a smile and she hugged Konoka back.

"T-thank you ojou-sama…"

* * *

A.N. I got a request for KonoSetsu so I thought, what the heck. I also got a billion other pairing requests from PMs and reviews, but I'm working on one at a time. I also need some ideas for spells and skills. I'm thinking of skipping the second library island trip since the Baka Rangers are already doing better. I might just go right into the Evangeline part, then the Kyoto trip, by which point there will have been several pactios made.

Wait for the next chapter where necromancers clash with a vampire! Talus' scars aren't all that they appear, and Negi's been training like crazy. Watch out for Setsuna and Konoka's rekindled friendship, and what's up with Asuna?

You'll see next time, so until then,

Ja ne

~Dusk Ado~


	7. Darkness Lurks Within Your Heart

A.N. I still don't own Negima or Diablo nor will I ever. I do not make any money for this fanfiction, it is written purely for entertainment.

Chapter 7

Darkness lurks within your heart

* * *

Diablo Universe

* * *

Battered eyes fluttered opened, taking in the desolate wasteland around them.

Lakes of fire and molten rock belched smoke into the turgid air. Rotting carcasses shambled about, occasionally getting in the way of giant, powerfully armed skeletons. Thousands of demons and fiends of all kinds stalked across the barren steppes. A man, the eyes' owner, had been strung up above one of the pools of lava. His armor was horrifically burned and melted away at his left side and his left leg was twisted abnormally. His right leg had been almost severed by a terrible claw-strike.

The man's mouth, parched and raw, formed a single desperate question.

"Where…"

"…Am I?"

* * *

Negima Universe

* * *

"I'm not afraid…I'm not afraid…" Nodoka chanted to herself.

A part of her almost believed it, but the other part was screaming at her to get off of Sakura Lane and back home another way. Any other way.

"Oh? What have we here? Fresh prey!" Nodoka shrieked in fright as a small cloaked figure leaped down from a tree and landed on the nearest lamp post. "So lucky for me, normally I need to hunt!"

As the figure leaped for her, Nodoka heard a voice shout out:

"Fornicatus Magia! Fifty-three Light Arrows!"

With the wind howling in his ears, Negi watched as all of his magic arrows struck their target, blowing the cloaked figure away. He ran forward to catch Nodoka as she stumbled and fell.

"Negi-sensei?"

"This is getting to be a habit, Nodoka-san" Negi smiled, "You certainly get into trouble quite a bit."

Nodoka blushed. "S-sorry sensei."

"I do hope…" Negi and Nodoka both looked up in shock. "That you…" A figure was emerging slowly from the smoky explosion zone. "Don't think…" Blond hair and bright, malevolent eyes pierced the haze.

"You've won!" Evangeline A. K. McDowell finished as she strode forward.

Negi gaped at her.

"Evangeline-san! What are you doing?!"

The girl grinned, revealing half-inch fangs. "Why, I'm trying to feed, of course."

"You're…a vampire? But, why are you attacking Nodoka-san? She's your classmate!"

"Well Negi-sensei…there are good wizards and there are bad wizards. GUESS WHICH I AM!!"

Evangeline leaped and flew right at Negi with astonishing speed.

"Asura! Incendia Folgoris!"

A huge flaming spear flew through the air and very nearly impaled Evangeline, who had to spiral out of the way. As she landed, Evangeline threw two glass vials into the air.

"Glacial Spike!"

Sapphire liquid poured from the vials and combined, launching a spire of pure ice at the source of the fire.

"Asura! Spirit Blade!" Unseen blades of magic collided with the frozen missile and shattered it after a few seconds.

Evangeline's eyes narrowed as a figure strode into view.

"How disappointing," She said, "I had rather hoped you would choose to join me. I see that is not the case."

The sparse moonlight glinted off Talus' hair as he smiled rather grimly.

"I'm not exactly in the mood of joining the forces of evil despite the recruitment offers."

His gaze flicked over to Negi and Nodoka.

"You alright Negi-kun? I'm sorry we're late"

"We?"

Evangeline scowled and hurled another vial.

"Thirteen Ice Arrows!"

Negi threw out his hand, shouting his counter.

"Fornicatus Magia! Thirteen Light Arrows!"

The arrows collided, but Negi's were deflected to the side while Evangeline's continued on their path. The child mage leaped out of the way, diverting the arrows from Nodoka.

"Rastel Maskil Magister! Fornicatus Magia! Three Light Arrows! Two Light Arrows! Seven Light Arrows! Five Light Arrows!"

Multiple streams of energy fountained from Negi's hand, desperately trying to fend off Evangeline's arrows. This time he was successful, and Evangeline scowled again. Unseen by the other combatants, a fourth person appeared by Nodoka, picked her up, and vanished.

"It seems that I am outmatched." The vampire girl drawled "I will withdraw for now."

As Evangeline leaped into the air, a blinding flash of light emitted from the branch of a nearby tree. Evangeline howled in pain as a shaft of energy pierced her shoulder. Another flash of light and the vampire's stomach began smoking.

"What?! What's happeni-AAGH!" Evangeline screamed as another flicker of light flashed through her other shoulder.

"Cassandra! Stop!" Talus shouted as another flash of light flew from the tree branch, only to be intercepted by an energy blast from another source.

"Chacamaru!" Evangeline called, "Get us out of here!"

"Oh no you don't!" Talus and Cassandra shouted in unison, leaping at Evangeline. The girl smiled and vanished. Chacamaru rocketed away at incredible speed as the two looked around wildly.

"Damn!" Talus hissed, "Where is she?"

Cassandra focused for a second, then her eyes widened.

"Negi-kun! Behind you!!"

"Too late!" Evangeline laughed, sinking her fangs into Negi's neck.

Negi's eyes widened and he thrashed against Evangeline. He felt cold, terrified as his blood was drawn and his magical powers dwindled. Suddenly a burst of malevolent energy rushed through him. His eyes glazed over and Negi stopped struggling.

"Soul Vampirism!" Evangeline smirked as she disengaged from Negi's neck. Her eyes flashed red, and the young mage collapsed to the ground with black mist blossoming from the bite mark on his neck.

"You bitch!" Cassandra lifted her bow. She drew back the unloaded string and Talus' mouth fell open when lightning arced from her fingers and formed a crude arrow. She let fly, and the arrow struck Evangeline before the string had even returned to the ready position.

Not that it did anything, for Evangeline casually caught the bolt with a single finger. Eyes wide, Cassandra had no time to react before the lightning reversed direction and struck her instead.

"How…?"

Evangeline laughed ecstatically.

"Wonderful! I'd forgotten how good using my true powers could feel!"

"Incendia Folgoris!"

The flaming spear roared through the air towards Evangeline, who deflected it with a flick of her wrist.

"Is that all?" She asked condescendingly.

Step! ZIP! Step! ZIP!

In a second, Evangeline was in front of Talus, her hand thrust through the space his heart had occupied, but Talus had used instant movement to move behind her and swung his sword, aiming to decapitate her.

"DIE!"

Thwipp…

Talus gasped in disbelief as Evangeline turned to face him and caught his sword blade with two fingers. Her eyes closed and she whispered, "Amateur!"

In the blink of an eye she shattered Talus' sword blade and buried a clawed hand in his gut. Talus exhaled in shock and pain, spewing blood and falling to the ground. His eyes slowly glazed over and he gasped out one word.

"Damn…"

* * *

Talus' mindscape

* * *

"Damn…Damn! DAMN!" Talus raged, doubled over in pain, "Why's she so strong? I'm at the end of my rope and she's not even breaking a sweat!"

**You have yet to tap your true power.**

"Who's there?!" Talus whirled to find a hooded, cloaked man standing before him.

**I am disappointed that you don't recognize me, Talus.**

"Tyreal?"

The man held out a hand.

**Take my hand, and realize your true identity.**

Talus gripped the man's hand and suddenly red light burned where the man's eyes would be. Talus felt a huge surge of power flow into him, obliterating the scars on his arm and unlocking his magic once more. His stomach wound hissed as it closed and healed. A red glow could be faintly seen at the center of his forehead as Talus roared.

* * *

"Too easy…" Evangeline sneered as she turned to observe Negi.

The boy's skin had paled beneath the dark mist. His hair and eyes were lightening and if one looked close enough, they could just make out small fangs protruding from under his upper lip. His body twitched feebly. Evangeline smiled triumphantly; soon the son of the Thousand Master would be her slave-

"HIIIYAHH!" Evangeline gasped in shock as a foot collided with the back of her head.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Asuna screamed as she launched a punch at Evangeline. To the vampire's shock, Asuna's punch pierced through her barrier and knocked her off her feet.

"What?! How dare you ignore my magical barrier, girl!" Evangeline hurled a giant spear of ice at Asuna. Just before it impacted, a figure appeared before her, swinging a burning sword.

**"Moaden Asura! Abyssal Blade!"**

BOOM!

The collision of power was incredible, but when the steam of the explosion faded…

"What the hell?! You're alive?" Evangeline snarled, "Just who do you think you are?!"

Talus grinned and moved his left hand in front of his face. He pulled the hand across the left side of his face, drawing a dark shroud of fire across it. When it faded, about a quarter of Talus' face had been covered by black and dark red scales. His left eye had been covered, and turned pure yellow.

**"I am Talus"** He said. Dark power suffused his voice, giving it a slight echo.

"What the hell?!" Asuna shouted, then she noticed Negi, "Negi-sensei!"

She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Are you alright?"

Evangeline's eyes narrowed in fury as the black smoke was blown away from Negi before the transformation was completed. _The ritual was interrupted,_ she thought. _That means he won't be under my control when he wakes!_

**"Trag'Oul, dragon of the netherworld, I call upon the spirits of your realm; bestow upon me thirteen tortured souls!"** Talus' voice grew deeper and more twisted as he spoke and his sword glowed a sickening green color.

"Ninety-One Ice Arrows!" Evangeline shouted, launching a barrage of icy death at the almost demonic Talus. "You'll never finish that incantation!"

_**Talus, keep your concentration on the spell!**_ The mysterious voice commanded_**. I'm going to take over for a moment to get us out of the way!**_

_Go ahead_ Talus responded as he continued chanting.

**"Hear me, ye tortured spirits, you must obey my call. Come forth into this world and gather unto me!" **Evangeline's eyes widened as Talus suddenly disappeared, only to appear again ten meters away. Two dozen ice arrows impacted the ground where Talus had been.

His sword began oscillating as the blade cracked under the strain of the spell.

_He has the concentration to maintain a spell of that magnitude and utilize Shundo at the same time? Impressive, but this spell is obviously a one-shot deal!_

"Fool!" She shouted, redirecting the remaining ice arrows to again attack Talus. "The amount of power you're drawing upon will leave you totally drained!"

Talus ignored her and continued his spell. He again used Shundo to dodge the ice arrows.

**"Blade of Flames, disperse into thirteen fragments and unleash the chaos held at bay! Come forth, and do my bidding! Scatter, Vengeful Revenants!"** Talus threw his sword into the air, and a second later it exploded.

Screams of agony issued from the mouths of translucent ghosts as they soared towards Evangeline. The remaining Ice Arrows passed right through them and headed towards Talus. He growled, and used Shundo again. Evangeline mirrored him, and so did the ghosts, appearing all around her.

"Back!" She shouted, emitting a nova of dark energy which dispelled the spirits.

A blade slit her throat as Talus appeared behind her. Evangeline's eyes widened and she desperately clamped her hand to her neck to stop Negi's blood from running out of her. She snarled and teleported away.

Talus watched her go before Shundo-ing down to Cassandra's side. A brief diagnosis told him that she'd be fine; the lightning hadn't hit anything vital. She just needed rest. Satisfied, he turned his focus inward.

* * *

Talus' mindscape

* * *

Talus stood before the cloaked man again.

"I know you are not Tyreal." He stated, "I am sure of that, but I do not know who you are. Show yourself."

The man laughed lightly as his cloak disintegrated. Talus' eyes widened.

It was himself! The man was an exact clone of him.

**I am you, or at least part of you. My name is Xaltus; I am a demon of hell. Diablo, the Lord of Terror himself, created me to be a hunter. Hunter demons are assigned a target at the moment of her creation. Specifically, I was to hunt for you. I am your un-existence, the other side of the coin. I would have succeeded in my goal, but Tyreal insisted on dissecting your soul to keep you "safe."**

The demon laughed, **Just my luck, he managed to anchor the rest of your personality and soul to me. Now I, as a result, am anchored to you, unable to escape.**

Talus had taken to pacing around. Finally he turned to face Xaltus, "It's no coincidence that your name can be rearranged to spell 'TalusX' is it? You're going to try and flip the coin, so to speak. You want to take over, don't you?"

**No, thanks to Tyreal's meddling; you can't be possessed by demons. He placed you beyond Diablo's reach forever. Diablo, in turn, created two hunter demons; me and another, in order to find you…and kill you.**

"So now what?" Talus demanded, "You saved me from Evangeline, why? Did you not want her to take 'your' kill?"

**Again no**. Xaltus said, **Tied as I am to you; if you die, I die. Survival ranks first among demons' priorities, followed by battle, and then commands. In order to ensure my survival, I offered you some of my power so that you could bring yourself back.**

"So, do you want a thank-you or something?" Talus asked, "I sense a really big 'but' coming."

**You've been tainted**. Xaltus explained, **Because you used my power to come back from the brink of death, a little bit of my soul was transferred to you. Every time you use my power, you will become more demon-like. Don't worry about your appearance,** Xaltus paused; for Talus looked stricken, **your demon blood won't cause you to look like a demon unless you unleash my power. Like this!**

Talus watched as Xaltus grabbed his forehead with his right hand. When he pulled it down, black flames poured over his face, causing the skin to burn and peel away, revealing demonic scales. Black flames also began spreading from his right forearm, causing scales and spikes to erupt from his skin. In a few moments, Talus stood before a seven foot tall demon with black and dark red scales, bat-like wings, and enormous claws.

Xaltus looked surprised as he looked over himself.

**Strange, normally I'm twelve feet tall and much more powerful. Perhaps my power has been siphoned into you.**

"Impressive nonetheless" Talus said. "I will extend you some of my trust…for now. Don't betray it."

* * *

One second later (real time)

* * *

"H-hey! Negi, what are you doing?!" Asuna yelled as Negi launched himself at her, desperately trying to bite her neck. His strength had definitely increased, and Asuna found her arms being forced out of the way.

"Get off!" Asuna snarled and, with desperate strength, heaved Negi away from herself.

One second later he vanished and Asuna felt fangs pierce her neck.

Her eyes widened and she began thrashing, trying to break free.

Negi pulled desperately at Asuna's blood, wanting it, needing it. Asuna's eyes glazed over and she went limp. Suddenly he remembered who he was and noticed what he was doing. His eyes widened, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He wouldn't, couldn't stop, Asuna's blood…it tasted so good.

"Negi!" Talus shouted as Asuna began paling, "Stop it! You're killing her!"

Negi gave a feral snarl.

_**You won't be able to reason with him in this state. We've got to work together to overcome him in his vampire state.**_

Talus tried to tap into the strange magic that had gathered in his right forearm. Black flames caused a small portion of his arm to scale over, but that was about it. He brought his hand to his face and caused his left eye to turn yellow again.

**"I said stop it!"** He repeated. Negi ignored Talus. He strode up, grabbed Negi by the throat, and slammed him against a tree trunk. **"What's gotten into you?!"**

A flicker of motion registered in Xaltus' eye and Talus leaned his head back to avoid the snow white missile that would have hit his face. As the thing came to a halt, Talus recognized it.

**"An ermine?"** He said, confused.

The ermine launched himself at Talus again. Talus caught the ermine in his left hand.

"Let go!" it shouted, "Get away from aniki!" Negi's eyes widened and the red bled out of them. After a moment, he spoke.

"Chamo-kun?" He said, "What are you doing here?"

* * *

A.N. MWUAHAHAHAHAHA! How's that for a change? Negi a vampire, Evangeline unleashed, and Chamo trying to be heroic. I'm planning on a dramatic divergence from the storyline for a little while.

Negi will have to get his powers under control to avoid jumping everyone in sight, he needs a Pactio, and he needs to get stronger in general.

Information:

Fornicatus Magia: A stronger version of the Sagitta Magica branch. Allows the user to cast large numbers of magic arrows at great speed.

Next time: A very strange field trip!

Ja ne

~Dusk Ado~


	8. A Very Strange Field Trip! Part 1

A.N. Still don't own Diablo or Negima, sigh…

Bring forth your sorrows

All of your pains

Never acknowledged

Kindness disingrained

And let them all out

If you wish to be free

Can anyone tell me which manga this poem is based off of and why?

* * *

Chapter 8

A Very Strange Field Trip!

Part 1: The rising power

* * *

Talus and Negi both stared at the ermine in shock.

**"The hell? You can talk?"**

"Of course I can talk!" Chamo shouted in indignation. "Did you think I was some stupid animal?"

**"Well, considering you attacked a mage head on with no backup and not knowing how strong I am, I'd say that you are."** Talus smirked,** "Negi, is that you in control now? Can I let you down?"**

"Yeah," Negi gasped. Talus' eyes widened as he realized that Negi was turning blue.

"Let him down!" Chamo screamed, "Aniki has to breathe!"

"Crap!" Talus dropped Negi, no longer able to hold him up as his demon energy faded away.

Negi gasped and shuddered, before turning and emptying his stomach into the nearby juniper bush. He came back with blood dripping from his mouth. Chamo gaped at him.

"Aniki! You're bleeding, you need help!"

"S'not my blood." Negi mumbled, staring dully at the ground.

"Huh? Not…yours?" Chamo would have paled if possible.

"Evangeline bit him" Talus said. "I think she turned him into a vampire, or at least a part-vampire."

The three of them were distracted by a groan. They turned to see Asuna shakily getting to her feet. She tried to walk, but stumbled groggily. Before anyone else could react, Negi appeared by Asuna's side, supporting her.

"Asuna-san, are you okay?"

"No…" She mumbled, "I just got attacked by my 10-year-old teacher, how would I be okay?! What the hell happened?!"

"He bit you" Talus said, "After Evangeline bit him. I suspect that by now you've both been at least partially changed into vampires."

He looked ready to continue, but paused. In Asuna's hand, unseen by her, a light had begun to glow. Looking to Negi, he noticed that the same light was shining in his hand.

"What are those?" Chamo asked as the two noticed finally.

Speechless, Negi and Asuna watched as the light solidified into two thin rectangles. The light dissolved into grains of luminescence, leaving a card in each of their grasp.

"No way…" Chamo breathed in shock. "There's no way they could have-"

"Formed a Pactio? I'm afraid so." Talus approached Asuna and Negi, leaned over, and observed their cards.

In Negi's hand was a black and red bordered card depicting Asuna, facing left. She was brandishing a huge sword in one hand while holding a shining white flame in the other. Dark red scale armor covered most of her body while a white fur-like skirt extended off the armor from her hips to mid thigh. Her eyes seemed to be glowing, it was hard to tell since it was a card, and her hair was white and flowed past her waist. In the background a twisting storm of white and black battled for dominance.

The card read [Ministra Magi Asuna Vesperina Theotanasia Entheofushia] at the top and [Magister Magi: Negi Springfield] at the bottom in small silver letters. In the center it read **[****Ensis Exorcizans]**

Asuna held a card bordered with silver that depicted Negi, facing right. The boy's eyes had dark scleras and white irises and pupils. He wore a full-bodied cloak colored white on the exterior and black inside. He also wore a pure white metal falcon helm on his head with his chest covered by white chain mail. In his hands he held two six foot polearms tipped at either end with a wing shaped blade. A half-dozen similar weapons fanned out behind Negi, their tips stabbed into the ground. Like Asuna, Negi's hair was white. A night sky with a crescent moon made up the card's background.

Asuna's card read [Minister Magi Negi Springfield] at the top and [Magistra Magi: Princess Asuna Vesperina Theotanasia Entheofushia] in blood red at the bottom. The center read **[Pia Speculum]**

Talus, Chamo, Asuna, and Negi all stared at the cards, dumbfounded.

Negi was the first to speak.

"Wow…what are these?"

Talus just covered his face with his hand while Chamo began hopping around in something akin to rage and excitement at the same time.

"Is that all?" He ranted, "Don't you realize what you've done?! Those aren't normal Pactio cards or even probationary ones! In fact, I don't even know what they are!"

**"They're Sanguine Pactio cards."** Talus' voice changed as Xaltus stepped in to speak.

"What?! You're not serious, right! RIGHT?!" Chamo looked like he was going to have heart failure.

"**Deadly serious, there's no mistaking that type of connection."**

"Wait, what do you mean?" Negi interrupted.

"Yeah! What are sang-something Pactio cards?" Asuna demanded.

**"They're a rare Pactio formed when a human or part-human drinks the blood of another human of the opposite gender. The two are bound to each other by the Pactio and mutually grow stronger. The reason that it's so rare is because both the magister and the ministra or vice versa must be magically attuned and also; there has to be some level of attraction between the two. However,** I've never seen something like this before" Talus' voice returned to normal as Xaltus faded away. He picked up where Xaltus left off.

"Negi-san is, we must assume, part vampire, and as a result, so are you Asuna-san. Since you're both magically attuned, part-vampire by now, and apparently attracted to each other, a two-way Sanguine Pactio was formed. Even I don't know the full extent of Sanguine Pactios, and these cards resonate with incredible power, far beyond the normal power of even permanent Pactios."

A twig snapped behind the group, prompting everyone to whirl towards the source.

"Takahata-sama!" Talus smiled in relief. "Thank god you're here; we have a problem."

"A problem?" Takamichi inquired, "What kind of problem?"

"Show him" Talus commanded.

Negi and Asuna hesitantly displayed their Sanguine Pactio cards. Takamichi's eyes bulged as he took in the cards' appearance, the couple they belonged to, and their slightly noticeable fangs.

Takamichi turned to Talus and said, with strained calm, "Please tell me that this is some kind of elaborate, sick joke."

Talus shook his head. Takamichi paled.

"It was the fault of Evangeline A. K. McDowell" Talus explained. He then proceeded to explain the entire situation, minus the presence of Xaltus.

* * *

Five minutes later, the entire group, including Nodoka and an unconscious Cassandra, stood (or, in Cassandra's case lay) before the headmaster and a large portion of the staff, who Talus could identify as magically sensitive.

The headmaster spoke. "I cannot understate the gravity of the situation. The Dark Evangel has unleashed her full powers once more, but much worse; Negi Springfield and Asuna Kagurazaka have been partially hybred into vampires."

One of the staff picked up the trail. "Due to Asuna's innate Magic Cancel; attempting to extract the thrall from her is futile. However, Negi's thrall is much stronger and more dangerous."

Takamichi stepped forward. "What's more Konoe-dono; Konoka-san has witnessed Setsuna-san's true form. They are being fetched as we speak. Currently, despite the need for caution, the greatest priority is to extract Negi's thrall, in his current state he's a danger to himself and others."

Another teacher stepped forward, chanted a rather verbose spell before proclaiming, "Divine Intervention: Animus Defaeco!" {Soul Purifying}

A shining ray of light burst from his hands and soared towards Negi. It never arrived.

A meter from Negi's body, the spell was deflected by a flickering, rippling barrier that projected enough power to level a tank. Everyone's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Impossible!" the man exclaimed, "The boy possesses Magic Cancel as well!"

Talus gasped, "Takamichi-san, the Pactio!"

Headmaster Konoe's eyes narrowed. "Pactio? What Pactio?!"

Again, Negi and Asuna produced their Pactio cards, and again they were greeted with shock, horror, and incredulity. The staff began arguing hurriedly, panicking at the sight of Sanguine Pactio cards. Meanwhile, Asuna approached Takamichi and the headmaster.

"Takahata-sensei, Headmaster-sensei? The name on my card isn't my last name; look"

Takamichi read the card, growing paler with each word.

"Princess… Asuna Vesperina…Theo…tanasia…Entheo…fu…shia" By the end of his reading, the renowned "Deathglasses" had gone pure white, an expression of absolute horror plastered across his face. He turned to the headmaster. "What do we do?" he asked.

"Perhaps we should-" suddenly the entire room was hit with a potent chill as pillars of darkness disgorged Evangeline A K McDowell into the room. She sneered and before anyone could react, proceeded to pin everyone in place with a spray of immobilizing ice.

"Perhaps you should listen to my offer before you do anything rash, human" Evangeline said.

"I'm offering this solution, don't even bother negotiating. I, Evangeline A K McDowell, shall train the son of the Thousand Master, the deposed Twilight Princess, and the estranged Hanyo in the use of their artifacts and I shall also make them ready for the combat that no doubt lies ahead. In exchange; they will answer to me and only me on the battlefield, none of you humans will even attempt to train them, and…Headmaster Konoe will finish removing the Thousand Master's seal."

"Absurd!" One of the staff members shouted.

"The alternative is; I kill you all here, drain Negi-san of his blood, and destroy the seal myself. I'll get rid of my enemies, gain my freedom…and a nice little accessory if I go that way."

Everyone in the room except Evangeline (the sadistic one) and Negi (the ignorant one) turned a nasty shade of green.

"Sooooo…" Evangeline drawled mockingly, "What'll it be?"

* * *

Evangeline's Cabin

* * *

"I can't believe we're being trained by her" Asuna fumed as the small group gathered around a small glass sphere in Evangeline's basement. "I mean really," Evangeline ignored the irate girl and activated the sphere. "How are we supposed to even train down" FLASH! "Here?"

The rest of Asuna's rant died in her mouth as the light faded…revealing a gigantic castle-like resort, complete with beaches, waterfalls, and housing.

"Wha…" Asuna began babbling, "Wha, wha, wha…"

"Shut your trap girl" Snapped Evangeline. "For the next 720 hours, we will be training here. We'll start off by testing each of your artifacts. Meet down by the main portal in five minutes." She began flying away before shouting back. "Konoka-san and Setsuna-san will be joining us in twenty-four hours."

Four minutes and fifty seven seconds later, the group had reached the main portal. Evangeline activated said portal and transported them to an arena.

"Alright," She began, "Start by releasing your artifacts. If you don't know how; you hold up your card and say 'Adeat.'" Evangeline snapped her fingers and a duplicate of each of their Sanguine Pactio cards appeared in her hands. She handed them to Asuna and Negi, so that they both had one of each.

"Alright then-" Negi said.

"Here we go!" Asuna continued.

"ADEAT!" They shouted in unison, and a nova of light engulfed them.

"Adeat…" Talus murmured, summoning his sword in a small rush of flames.

Negi emerged from the light first; decked out in full battle array. He held a spear in each hand, and six more floated behind him. The white metal helm gave his yellow eyes an even more feral appearance and the armor itself seemed to absorb the nearby light, giving a slight darkening to the air around him. With the armor, pale skin, and lighter hair Negi seemed to have aged almost five years.

Asuna actually looked nervous as she emerged. In her right hand she held the legendary **Ensis Exorcizans**, the demon banishing sword. Her scale mail did cover her entire body, minus her head, but it was skintight, and left little to the imagination. Talus and Negi both blushed slightly and Evangeline smirked.

"Good," She purred, "Now, Talus and Asuna will be sparring first, followed by Talus and Negi, then Negi and Asuna." Negi and Evangeline quickly vacated the ground level, opting for the raised spectator box. "Now, BEGIN!"

Asuna wasted no time and charged, swinging the giant **Ensis Exorcizans** in a brutal overhand strike. Cracking his sword blade, Talus deflected the blow at an angle and struck back, only to have Asuna's sword flicker back into position and block. As Talus' blade splintered against the superior sword, he leaped back.

"Talon of Trag'Oul!" The conjured spear of bone launched right at Asuna's guard…and glanced right off.

"What?"

Asuna, spurred by some instinct, swung her sword.

"**Ensis Exorcizans** _Lunamucro_!"

Talus gaped as a humming crescent of energy hurtled through the air at him. Something told him that blocking it would be futile, and he dodged. Talus' eyes narrowed as his body responded slower than expected. _What the-_

Asuna's wheel kick caught him across the face, spilling Talus onto the ground. Groggy, he was unable to dodge the follow-up axe kick that buried him face down in the rubble.

_**You're going to need my help against her.**_

_No, not yet!_

_**If you don't, she's going to make you look bad.**_

_I can still-_

_**The reason your body is moving slower is because you've become part demon, you need to use your demon energy! Do it before she puts you six feet under!**_

_No!_

_**Then you leave me no choice!**_

"AaaaaaAAAAAAAAA**AAAAAAAGGGHHH!!"** Talus screamed as he caught Asuna's overhand swing with his left hand. His right hand grasped the hilt of his sword, which expelled a new blade of red-hot steel to replace the one Asuna's sword had shattered. Asuna leaped back, putting some distance between them.

**"Moaden Kichiakami! Sanguine Blossom!"**

Energy flared behind Talus, taking the approximate shape of flower petals. His sword glowed briefly, then a rift opened in the ground, speeding towards Asuna. She casually lifted her sword to block, and the strike was halted.

Talus appeared behind her, swinging. **"Moaden Mucro! Sanguine Sword!"**

Asuna wrenched the **Ensis Exorcizans** around to block, shattering Talus' blade again, and sending the Hama flying. Another unknown instinct flashed through her head. She held her hands to her side.

"Magic Energy in the left hand! Ki in the right! _**Kankahō**_!!" A barrier of white fire sprang up around her skin, protecting her from Talus' strike. She punched at him, and a stream of the fire projected from her hand and smashed Talus to the ground. He growled as he recrafted his sword blade again.

"**Moaden Kyomori! Purifying Breeze!"** A green haze, smelling of pine, descended upon the stadium and swirled around Talus. **"This magical barrier will protect me from all minor attacks no matter-"**

Asuna's fist crashed into Talus' face and left him stunned.

_I'm assuming that you forgot about her MAGIC CANCEL_! Talus roared with laughter in his mind, _For a demon from hell, you really have to learn to respect your opponent._

_**Shut up**_ Xaltus responded eloquently.

"Yeah! Go Asuna-san!"

Asuna looked up to see Negi cheering like a loon, and Evangeline looking rather impressed despite herself.

"Winner; Asuna." Evangeline said, "Boy, get down there and be ready for your fight."

"Yes, Evangeline-sensei"

* * *

_**Will you at least accept my help this time, or do I have to do that again?**_

Talus reached up to his forehead and swept his hand back, revealing the demonic scales beneath his skin.

"Adeat!" Negi again summoned his spears and assumed a defensive position.

This time it was Talus who charged, swinging his sword in a flaming arc.

**"Moaden Asura! Abyssal Blade!"** A giant shockwave, much larger than Asuna's _Lunamucro_, roared through the air at Negi who leaped to the side. The shockwave suddenly exploded into smaller waves and spread out in a cone-shaped pattern. Unable to guard in time, Negi was thrown back.

He landed and raised his spears. "Jovis Tempestas Folgoris!" Lightning began sparking from the spears and he hurled the two in his hands. He followed up by grabbing two more and throwing those as well.

**_Dodge!_**

Talus leaped, passing high over the first two spears and launching a burst of flame to intercept the second pair. He landed lightly, only to dodge another spear, and another and-

A discarded spear suddenly whipped around in an ankle sweep. Talus jumped over it, then ducked when he landed to avoid a spinning lance. His eyes widened as he saw a second lance in the shadow of the first, and he jumped precisely between them. (Think Itachi vs Sasuke in Naruto for visual)

"Emittiam!" Negi shouted. Lightning arced from the two spears and shocked Talus. Negi threw another spear, javelin style, and another he whirled like a disk. The discarded spears leaped from the ground to his hands, and Negi continued his barrage of electrical projectiles, uninterrupted.

Left! Right! Duck under! Slip between! Talus growled as he contorted and gyrated, narrowly avoiding serious injury. Negi's aim was improving, and Talus quickly accumulated many minor injuries.

A spear carved a fine line across his cheek.

A blade nipped away part of his calf.

Then, two polearms buried themselves in Talus' stomach. Lightning burst from the weapons, dropping Talus' consciousness into oblivion.

"Winner, Negi Springfield"

"Good job Negi!" Asuna cheered as she jumped down to the arena.

Evangeline crooked her finger and teleported Talus' body up to the box.

"You, my friend," She muttered, "Need to conquer your demon before you can really begin to grow."

"Begin!"

* * *

Talus wandered through the darkness of his mind, sulking through the shadows…hunting. He needed to find and destroy Xaltus, so that he could regain himself.

"Damn it, where are you?" He muttered.

**"You called?"** Xaltus smirked from behind Talus.

"I know what you're planning; you want to destroy me." Talus grimaced as his demon leered at him. "A nice idea, but I'm not about to go down without a fight!"

**"Well then,"** Talus grinned, drawing his sword**, "I guess words are useless!"**

Xaltus drew a blade of his own, and the battle began.

* * *

"_Lunamucro_!" Asuna shouted, launching another burst of energy at Negi, who simply sidestepped.

"Joves Tempestas Folgoris!" Asuna raised the **Ensis Exorcizans** and deflected the spears that Negi threw.

_Hmm…_ Evangeline mused, _They seem to be equally matched. I suppose the Princess' memories are returning if she's already this competent with her powers again._

"Stay still Negi-bozu" Asuna smiled creepily. Negi paled and leaped back, avoiding another _Lunamucro_.

_She-she's crazy!_ Negi mentally panted as he jumped again, the vacated ground now a smoking crater. _The only thing I've got on her is speed. I can't get through her guard!_

Suddenly he had a flash of insight. _Wait! If I have Magic Cancel too, her spells can't hurt me!_

BOOM! Negi was sent flying, blood trailing from his mouth, as the next _Lunamucro_ struck him dead on.

"Magic Cancel doesn't work on other Magic Cancel wielders!" Asuna shouted.

_**Oh please, Negi**_ Negi stiffened as a voice ran through his head. _**You're no good at all in this form!**_

Asuna prepared another _Lunamucro_, but stopped when she saw what was happening to Negi. His mouth opened in a soundless scream, and glowing white fluid poured from it and his eyes, solidifying into a grotesque mask. It looked like some deranged artist's attempt to sculpt a falcon's face after putting the bird through a blender.

**"I knew it; you're no good…Negi!!"** 'Negi' leaped insanely high into the air, the spears twirling below him in a giant cone. A second later, he dive-bombed Asuna.

**"Hahahahahahahahaha!"**

* * *

"I told you that I didn't fully trust you" Talus smirked as he looked down on a defeated Xaltus, "And because of that, I hid my true strength. You're finished!"

**"Damn."** Xaltus smirked, **"You've proven yourself worthy of my power. Talus, take this sword and mask; I will lend my strength without reserve."**

"Much obliged" Talus smirked. He took the items and turned away, leaving his mindscape.

* * *

"HA!" Negi roared as he drove four spears into the ground, narrowly missing Asuna. "You're strong, but you can't stop me!"

_He's right!_ Asuna thought desperately, _Whatever he did, that mask made him twice as strong, no; more! How do I stop him?_

_**Hah!**_ A voice crowed, _**Now, I'll take my freedom as well!**_

_No!_ Another voice shouted, _You'll never overpower the Princess! The two of us will take your power and our freedom!_

Spurred on by instinct, Asuna gathered Kankahō-laced fire to her hand and swept it across her face. A "scream" shaped mask, half black and half white, materialized on her face. Suddenly Asuna felt the weights of the world drop away.

_I can beat him_ She realized, _I can do anything!_

Negi gaped as Asuna easily deflected the entire barrage of spears aimed at her, swinging the **Ensis Exorcizans** as though it weighed no more than a stick.

"ENOUGH!" Evangeline shouted. "You are both evenly matched, now put away your weapons so we can continue training!"

* * *

719 hours later (In resort)

30 hours later (Real world)

* * *

Evangeline, Konoka, Setsuna, Talus, Cassandra, Negi, and Asuna emerged from the resort and back into Evangeline's basement. In the month they had spent (Or in Konoka, Setsuna, and Cassandra's case, 29 days) they had all gained tremendous skills.

Negi had developed amazing speed and precision with his **Pia Speculum**, his divine spears, as well as amazing jumping abilities. It had taken him three weeks, but he had also mastered his mask, Xigen, which granted him even more strength.

Asuna had mastered several different skills with the **Ensis Exorcizans**, including several barrier spells. Her mask, Xunasa, granted her bewildering speed and reflexes.

Talus and Cassandra had improved their abilities as well, but hadn't really shown the same level of improvement. Cassandra didn't even have a mask.

Konoka had formed a provisional Pactio with Setsuna, much to the avian's embarrassment. Konoka had developed potent healing spells while Setsuna had acquired many more kendo abilities and mastered instant movement. Konoka's artifact took the form of a pair of fans, called the **Albus Bacca, Atra Oceania**, or White Pearl, Black Ocean. Both fans allowed Konoka to channel her healing magic much easier. Setsuna's artifact, the **Ala Albus Judicium** (white judgment wings) allowed her to access a total of six wings when in her Avian form. She could fly with much greater speed and precision than ever before.

As the group emerged from Evangeline's house, they were immediately set upon by Takamichi.

"Negi, Asuna-kun" He smiled tightly, "The headmaster has decided on the location of 2A's field trip!"

"F-field trip?!" Negi sputtered.

Asuna cheered, "Yeah! We actually get to go somewhere this year! Where're we going?"

Takamichi said, "Kyoto."

* * *

A.N. I'm going to skip the start of the Kyoto trip and head straight past the first encounter with the monkey/bear lady. I really don't have much planned for that, so I'm just going to go with the major events. Sorry for you guys who wanted to read through the entire Kyoto trip…find another fanfic for it for now. I might make a side-fanfic for it, but for now I'm going to head towards the school festival.

Information:

Lunamucro: Moonblade: Asuna swings her sword, or hand, and discharges a large amount of **_Kankahō. _**The**_ Kankahō_** is imbued with magic-cancel, making blocking it impossible for most opponents.

Xigen: Negi's mask, grants him better control of his spears. Also improves speed, stamina, and striking power

Xunasa: Asuna's mask, greatly increases speed and power. Asuna also gains better control of her **_Kankahō._**

Next time: Temple Under Siege!

Ja ne

~Dusk Ado~


	9. A Very Strange Field Trip! Part 2

A.N. If you haven't read my previous disclaimers yet, you're probably going to ignore this one too; I still don't own any canon characters from ANY anime or manga that appear in this fic. My own characters, I own them, yeah, and my personally invented spells. Oh, and any non-canon artifacts that I made up.

Intellectual property of Negi's skill _**Dolorus Crux Crucis**_ is given to **Kojiro Kun**, who gave me the great idea. That being said, there is NO guarantee that it will appear this chapter.

If you want my help for any of your fanfics, ideas, cure for writer's block, skill names, WHATEVER, just PM me. The only thing I won't do is write it for you.

On with the-oh wait; has anyone figured out which manga the poem is connected to? I'm debating on whether or not to crossover with that manga for a short arc. The person who answers it correctly will get to decide.

Kudos to **Samuramon** for correctly guessing what Xigen, Xunasa, and Xaltus are based off of; yes, they are based off of the Vizard masks in Bleach. No; they are not the same, but they are similar.

Oh, one more thing; I lied. I **will** be covering the Kyoto Field Trip in better detail, but only certain parts. THANK YOU !!

Now; ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

Chapter 9

A Very Strange Field Trip

Part 2: Clash in Kyoto

* * *

RING! RING!

"Wake up Asuna-san, wake up Konoka-san!" Negi shouted in excitement. "wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup-"

THUMP! Asuna seethed as she beat Negi into the floor.

"Negi! You want us to get ready at 6:00am?! We don't have to be at the station until ten!"

"But Asuna-san" Negi halted as Asuna's eyes began glowing eerily.

"We're going-back-to-SLEEP!" Negi quailed before Asuna, who had somehow summoned the** Ensis Exorcizans** without conscious effort.

"O-okay, okay!" Negi squeaked. "I've got to go! Teachers have to be ready early, so I'm going."

"Hnmph." Asuna mumbled incoherently as she climbed back into bed.

As soon as she had fallen asleep and Negi had left, Konoka crept up to Asuna's bed and shouted.

"ASUNA! WAKE UP! IT'S 10:30!!"

Asuna leaped out of bed and dressed in a flash.

"I'm sorry!" She wailed, "I made us-"

"Amused" Konoka couldn't even stand from laughing so hard.

Asuna felt her eyebrow twitch, "KO-NO-KA!!!"

* * *

"What?" Negi squeaked with big Bambi, tearful eyes.

"I said you're not going as a teacher on this trip, Negi-san" Headmaster Konoe said firmly. "It's not a slight on you; you're just too dangerous to be put in charge of a group of children. I've decided that you'll be going as a supervisor, and Takamichi will be in charge."

"So I can still go?" Negi asked hopefully.

"Yes" Konoe smiled.

Negi whooped excitedly and jumped around before scurrying off to tell Asuna and Konoka.

"And I wasn't even done talking to him…" Konoe muttered. "That boy… he is truly your son, Nagi."

* * *

"So, you're not the teacher for the trip?"

Negi stumbled as Talus appeared around the corner, smirking.

"I must say, that's fortunate for you"

"What do you mean, Talus-san?" Negi asked.

"Well, if you're going to pursue Asuna-san you don't have to worry about the whole "teacher student" thing now do you?"

Negi's face flamed up, "TALUS-SAN!"

Talus' face lit up in a knowing grin, "But you _like_ Asuna-san, don't you?"

Negi gulped, "Wh-at makes you say that?"

"Your **Sanguine Pactio**" Talus smirked, "Remember? You can only form one with someone you're attracted to."

"I uh, wait, no, that's not-" Negi was totally incoherent. Finally his frustration and embarrassment flared and he jabbed a finger at Talus, shouting "Semita Eversio Quattuor; Stilulevitas!"

Talus laughed as he caught the burst of palest pink energy that Negi launched at him.

"You're only proving my point, Negi-san. Don't worry; since you're no longer her teacher, there's no harm in having a relationship with her."

Negi fumed before turning and stalking back to his room.

"Oh? Already going to her bedroom? Fast work Negi-san!" Talus laughed as he was forced to block another blast of Stilulevitas that Negi launched at him.

_This trip_ Talus thought _is going to be so much fun._

* * *

At the train station, Headmaster Konoe and Takamichi divided up the class into four groups of students and one group of "others."

The "others" group consisted of Evangeline, Talus, Negi, Asuna, Cassandra, Konoka, and Setsuna. When it was protested that their group was larger, Konoe pointed out that Asuna, Evangeline, Konoka, and Setsuna had trained with Negi, Talus, and Cassandra to be supervisors for the rest of the class. Of course he was downright lying, but who would distrust their headmaster?

"I don't believe you!" Ayaka fumed, "How come they get to be with Negi-sensei?"

"They are all here to protect you Ayaka-sama" Konoe tried to pacify the irate class representative.

"Like she could!" Ayaka threw a punch at Asuna, only to have it get caught by Negi.

"Ayaka-san, please refrain from violence while we're on this trip."

Immediately Ayaka began fawning over Negi and agreeing with him. Asuna sneered derisively.

"Alright everyone! It's time to go!" Takamichi called, ushering them all into the train.

* * *

Thirty-five miles later

* * *

Talus and Asuna looked up to the "Group Five" cart door as it opened and two teenagers walked in. The green-haired boy looked around hurriedly before ushering a blonde girl, most likely his sister, into the seats next to Talus.

"Take it easy, Maria-nee-chan. I promise we'll find a doctor for you in Kyoto."

Asuna's head jolted around and her gaze zeroed in on the boy.

"Th-th-thank you, Kain-niisan" The girl coughed, blushing madly.

Asuna's eyes widened as Xunasa and Asu, as she had taken to calling her younger persona, appeared in astral form right next to her.

"_No way!"_ Asu gaped, _"There's NO WAY that it could be…"_

"_**Asuna-hime,"**_ Xunasa stated, _**"I…I believe that you are face to face with the Utahime; your former protector; the Songstress!"**_

_What? Who are-?_

Asu placed a transparent hand on Asuna's brow, and suddenly the former princess was able to hear with clarity beyond imagination.

"_The third gift to the Higurehime (Twilight Princess), the __**auris aureus camena**__.(Songstress Ears)_" Asu smiled, "_At this rate, you'll be back to normal in no time"_

"**Hello**," the boy smiled at Asuna and Talus, "**I'm Kain, and this is my sister, Maria. Forgive her, but her throat is damaged and it is very difficult for her to talk**."

"You!" Asuna gaped, "you're-"

Talus cocked an eyebrow at Asuna.

"Something wrong, Asuna-san?"

"His, his _voice_!" Asuna breathed, "You're…a songstress?"

Kain flinched as though he had been struck.

"**How?"** He didn't even bother denying it.

"I can hear it, the magic in your voice. I…I'm Asuna Vesperina Theotanasia Entheofushia, the Higurehime."

Kain gasped.

"N-Nii-san?" Maria coughed, spraying a small amount of blood from her mouth, "Who-ack-*cough*!"

**"Don't speak!"** Kain hushed his sister, "**You know what will happen if you-"** he was cut off as Maria lurched forward, coughing and spewing up blood in great quantities. **"Oh god! Maria! Sombody! Help! HELP!"**

Konoka was at Maria's side in an instant, whipping out her Pactio card.

"Adeat! Pulsus et traho! **Albus Bacca, Atra Oceania!" (**Push and pull, White Pearl, Black Ocean**)** Konoka speedily ran her **Albus Bacca** over Maria's throat and chanted, "Recupero Recipero Rejuvenas!(Recover, Restore, Rejuvenate)"

Kain watched openmouthed as his sister's throat glowed briefly and she vomited up an alarming amount of blood.

Konoka smiled and held up **Atra Oceania** to Maria. A faint blue-green mist wafted from the fan into her nostrils, repairing the damaged tissue and flesh in an instant. Maria gasped briefly, and then collapsed into her chair, lightly holding her throat.

Kain gripped her shoulders, **"Maria! Maria! Are you alright?"**

"I can…talk!" Maria smiled and threw her arms around her brother, "Nii-san, I can talk!"

**"You…"** He turned to Konoka. **"How can I ever thank you? You saved my sister! What is your name?"**

"Me?" Konoka giggled, "Oh, I'm Konoka Konoe, and don't worry about it; healing's my speciality.

Suddenly, the conversation was rudely interrupted. A burst of fire melted the door open and two cloaked figures leaped inside, grabbed Konoka, and departed.

* * *

Nobody moved for about five seconds, then everyone moved at once.

Talus and Cassandra vanished with Shundo.

Negi and Asuna charged through the molten door.

Setsuna stabbed a hole thorugh the roof of the car and leaped onto the roof.

Maria briefly kissed Kain on the cheek before they both followed Setsuna.

* * *

BOOM!

Both mysterious figures stood back to back atop the train car. On one side stood Asuna, gripping the **Ensis Exorcizans**, and Negi, holding his **Pia Speculum.**

On the other side stood Cassandra, bow drawn and loaded, and Talus, who regarded the situation with incredible boredom. Setsuna floated above them, supported by the **Ala Albus Judicium****.**

"Surrender" Talus intoned, "There's no way the two of you could hope to outfight us all."

"Screw you!" The female screeched. She raised her hand and, with a rush of flames, conjured a bow. "Adeat!"

"Sagitta Flamma! Thirty-one Fire Arrows!" The shafts of flame soared in all directions, aimed at everyone and no one.

"Adeat!" Cassandra shouted, conjuring her own bow and Shundo-ing into the air above the other archer. "Aduro Accelero Fornicates! (Light Speed Archery)"

Faster than anyone could perceive, Cassandra loosed thirty-one lightning arrows, intercepting all of the fire arrows before they could hit anyone.

"Iaculio Fulgoris!" The man roared as he launched more than a dozen Lightning Spears at a helpless Cassandra.

Negi leaped into the air, spears trailing behind him as he shouted out, "Altivolus! Pia Spiculum!" (Soar, Divine Spears)

Talus smirked, "Good call Negi-san!"

All eight spears fanned out, forming a pair of lightning-based wings for Negi. He caught Cassandra before his 'wings' cocooned them both in a protective shield. The lightning spears glanced off harmlessly.

"Impossible!" The cloaked man gasped, "Nobody could ever turn that spell aside!"

"Incendiamucro!"

"Lunamucro!"

Caught unaware, the cloaked figures were struck on either side by Asuna and Talus. The resulting explosion engulfed the top of the train car in smoke.

Setsuna hissed in anger and dove into the cloud, all six wings flapping madly to dispel the smoke.

Suddenly, a storm of Ice Arrows soared from the center of the cloud, striking Setsuna repeatedly and bringing her down.

Talus' and Cassandra's eyes widened as the smoke cleared. The figures' cloaks had been disintegrated, clearly showing their faces.

Standing side by side before them…

…were Mernic and Kyasha.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Cassandra screeched, "I thought I'd never have to see you again!!"

In a rage, she loosed a score of lightning blasts, all of which were intercepted as Kyasha fired back faster than the eye could see.

"You really shouldn't have betrayed us" Mernic shouted, "Twenty-nine spirits of Ral, I call upon thee! Incinerate all that stand before me! Incendia Tempestas!"

"Lunamucro!" Asuna bawled, hurling another shockwave at Mernic. The druid contemptuously batted the blast aside with one hand.

"Joves Tempestas Fulgurens!" Negi hurled six spears, crackling with lightning, at Kyasha, who again deflected them with her own projectiles.

Talus snarled as he drew another sword, sheathing Phoenix. "Get back! Everyone!"

Asuna and Negi hurriedly moved Setsuna out of the way as Talus shouted out.

"**Vex! Hel! El! Eld! Zod! Bir!** Darkness, come forth and serve me once again! **Breath of the Dying**!"

Mernic stared in horror at the giant black flames that poured off Talus' body. He raised his sword, now pure black and serrated with white fire wreathing its blade.

"**Trag'Oul , valde extraho quod universitas cursor! Reverto ut mihi animus EGO have mando ut vestri tutela! Exorior meus minions quod servo mihi is unus permaneo vicis! Forgotten Animus!** (**Trag'Oul, great dragon and world carrier! Return to me the souls I have entrusted to your care! Come forth my minions and serve me this one last time! Souls of the Forgotten!)"**

Talus stabbed the sword into the roof of the train-car, causing darkness to pour forth in a great circle before disgorging at least two dozen skeleton warriors, mages, and archers. Drawing Phoenix again, Talus swung, creating a huge blast of fire that took the shape of a homunculus!

"No!" Mernic shouted. "Foul beasts, be gone!" He directed his firestorm at Talus' small army, only to freeze in dismay as the flaming golem absorbed the entire spell.

"Freezing Arrow!" Kyasha shouted.

Talus gasped in pain as an arrow imbedded itself in his right arm and immediately began freezing over. His concentration broken, the skeletal minions collapsed and Talus fell to his knees. The fire golem roared and charged Kyasha, who leaped into the air, firing madly.

"Mernic! Retreat!" She screamed, "We're no match for all of them! Mission failed!"

Mernic scowled, "I won't forget this!"

* * *

The next night (Full Moon)

* * *

With Konoka safely retrieved, and now under the protection of most of the group, Negi figured that the time to deliver the letter he'd been given was now. But, he couldn't endanger anyone else so he'd have to go alo-

"HEY! Where do you think you're going Negi?!"

Well, not entirely alone.

* * *

Minutes later, Negi and Asuna had ditched the rest of the class and were walking down the city streets, looking for the Headquarters of the Kansai Magic Association. After a little searching, they found a path towards a large building that thrummed with magical energy.

Nodding to each other, Negi and Asuna resolutely walked forward.

After what felt like miles, Negi stopped and shouted in frustration.

"This isn't working! We've been walking for miles! We could have traveled all the way around the city by now!" He pointed a finger at the path in front of them. "Semita Eversio Quattuor; Stilulevitas!"

The beam of energy lanced ahead before Asuna stopped behind Negi. Suddenly, the spell was behind them and being deflected by Asuna's magic cancel.

"I knew it!" Negi screamed, "It's an infinite time/space pocket. We're trapped!"

"Meh…hahahahaha! Too right you are!" A dark-haired boy cackled as he descended from above them, only to trip in mid-air over an overhang and crash to the ground.

Negi and Asuna sweatdropped. _This_ was the guy that captured them?

"Kotaru Inugami!" The boy identified himself, "I'm here to make sure you stay indisposed…permanently."

Asuna snorted.

"Yeah, right"

"Asuna-chan; let me fight him myself." Negi stepped forward and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Wha- but- oh alright, he's all yours." Asuna fumed, angry that she wouldn't fight.

"HA!" Kotaru laughed delightedly, "To think that I'd run into a Western Mage who'd stand and fight! What luck, well; HAVE AT YOU!"

Kotaru leaped at Negi with a strong punch.

WHACK!

Negi jerked backwards. Kotaru grinned and continued his assault. After half a dozen punches, Negi stumbled.

"Had enough, Western Mage?!" Kotaru jeered.

Negi pointed at Kotaru.

"Stilulevitas!"

Kotaru's eyes bulged as a beam of energy shot at him. Grunting with the effort, he batted away the spell.

"Ha!" Kotaru gasped, "That your best shot?"

"Wow, he blocked it" Negi mused from behind Kotaru. "Not bad!"

Kotaru whirled and kicked out at Negi who blocked with one hand.

"But…" Negi paused, "That was only at about 25 percent, so it's not terribly good either."

"SUCK IT!" Kotaru roared, leaping at Negi and summoning four spectral dog spirits to attack with him.

With a sigh, Negi lashed out at each dog, destroying them. By then Kotaru was upon him. A roundhouse kick crashed into the arm he raised to block. Immediately Kotaru punched at Negi's face again, only to have Negi catch it with two fingers.

He smirked slightly and held up his other hand.

"Adeat" Negi grabbed the spear that appeared in his hand and jabbed at Kotaru, causing the boy to retreat.

"You done?" Negi scoffed lightly, "'cause it's my turn."

"Altivolus, Pia Spiculum!" Immediately, the other seven spears appeared and Negi began his assault.

Kotaru grinned maniacally as he dodged spear after spear. At last, a western mage that could fight! A worthy rival, but he would easily outlast the kid.

Or would he? Kotaru frowned as Negi's attack continued for several minutes with no signs of stopping. _He's crazy!_ Kotaru thought, _He can't be older than twelve, yet he can wield those spears like they're nothing. And his speed…_

Abruptly, Negi stopped and said, "Adeat Loricatus"

Asuna sighed as Negi appeared in full battle array with his eyes now glowing yellow.

_He's dead._

"HA!" Negi rushed at Kotaru again, this time much faster.

_What the hell?!_ Kotaru gaped, _He's even faster now, I can't keep up like this._

Kotaru leaped back to give himself space. He smirked and shouted, "Kuzoku Juuka!"

Negi watched with interest as Kotaru's hair lengthened and turned white. Muscle built up all over his body, and his nails hardened into claws.

"You're going down!"

Negi and Kotaru soared through the air and collided in a blinding flash of light.

* * *

Konoka woke with a start. Even though it was still the middle of the night she felt that something important was about to happen. She stood and walked to the window of her room.

From somewhere in the city, almost inaudible, someone was singing.

"_May the stars come to watch_

_And give you rest_

_No matter troubles, or fears_

_Hold fast to your dreams…"_

"Beautiful…" Konoka whispered as a second voice rose, winding around the first with a sonorous pitch that complimented the first singer perfectly.

**"_I sing to the heavens for smiles and happiness_**

_**I give myself up for all of you**_

_**You may not know who we are…"**_

"_Remember this well, we are the Utahime_

_And this is our hymn."_

Both voices then joined, singing in unison.

"_**As the moon shines upon the world**_

_**Bestows silver glow, with wings unfurled,**_

_**Our prayer reaches out to your heart**_

_**Let happiness rain upon you."**_

Konoka smiled as she wiped her eyes, "Kain, Maria…"

As the hymn continued, Konoka felt her eyes droop and she fell asleep once again.

* * *

BAM!

Negi slid across the ground again, thoroughly beaten and cut, but not bleeding.

"Ha! I never thought I'd have to go this far!" Kotaru laughed, "But you're no match for me even at sixty percent!"

_That's a lie_ Kotaru thought, _I'm on frikkin fumes now. If I can't finish this in five minutes, I'll really be screwed. Who is this guy?_

Negi sensed his foe's exhaustion and threw his hand forward, "Termino!" (Bind!) His spears moved all at once.

Four shot forward, crucifying Kotaru on the rockface beside the path. Negi floated up into the air, supported by his remaining four spears. Lightning flickered over his body and four strands connected him to the spears that held Kotaru. Suddenly, Negi clenched his fist and Kotaru screamed in pain as the spears began shocking him relentlessly.

"_**Dolorus…"**_ Negi began as he flew forward,_** "Crux Crucis!**_" (Cross of Suffering)

Before Negi could land his blow, a multicolored aura danced over Kotaru's skin and repelled the spears from him. Too shocked to stop, Negi was struck several times by the beastly Hanyo before his spears whirled in front of him, creating a protective shield.

"Wha…?" Kotaru seemed just as surprised as Negi, but that didn't keep him from paying attention, and he dodged Negi's next attack.

"Nwrngan'r Nefoedd!" (Fist of the Heavens!) (A.N. This is in Welsh)

Asuna's eyes widened as an absolutely EPIC lightning bolt crashed down from the sky, scorching Negi and discharging numerous blasts of light at her. Her magic cancel failed to deflect them, and Asuna screamed as blinding pain lanced through her body.

Both of them fell, not to get up very soon.

* * *

A cloaked figure landed beside Kotaru.

"Unbelievable, they really were undead." He muttered.

"WHAT?!" Kotaru yelped, "You- you're-"

The man clamped a hand over the boy's mouth, silencing him.

"Do not speak my name to them! They need not know their killer."

The man paused briefly as a faint, indistinguishable song fluttered over the area, filling him with inexplicable dread.

He raised his hand, "Nwrngan'r Nefoedd!"

Asuna despaired, whatever that spell was, it was too strong for her.

_So get stronger, stupid!_ Asu screeched,_ Get up, get up, GET UP!_

Asuna shot to her feet, sword summoned without effort. Following Asu's orders, Asuna pointed her sword upward.

"Luna fulgeo! Camena salvus!" (Moon shine down! [Utahime's] Song Sound!)

A bolt of pure silver lanced from the sky, courtesy of the cloaked man, but as it descended, time seemed to slow down for everyone but Asuna, surrounded as she was by pure moonlight.

She looked up in wonder as white light condensed into a sphere above her head.

"The moon…" she whispered, "it gives me power…makes me strong!"

She grabbed the orb in her left hand and crushed it.

The sphere in her hand exploded as the one surrounding her collapsed. Blinding pain filled her body and Asuna screamed.

Without thinking, she whipped the **Ensis ****Exorcizans** up to meet the blast of lightning.

"BEGONE!" before everyone's eyes, Asuna deflected the spell. She turned towards the cloaked man as Negi began to slowly stagger to his feet.

"I will defeat you with the moon's power."

Another sphere of energy appeared, and Asuna floated into the air, encased within.

She looked awed as she spoke once more.

"Luna fulgeo…"

The energy covered her in a fiery aura, and Asuna screamed again as she landed.

"UuuuuuuuuuuuuuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!"

* * *

Kain gasped as he felt a slight drain on his energy as he sang.

_The princess is drawing on my strength!_ He realized.

White light cocooned Kain and Maria.

* * *

"Asuna-chan! You have to stop!" Negi wailed as he positioned himself between the berserk princess and her foes.

Both Kotaru and the cloaked man had gone down shortly before, but Asuna hadn't stopped, bashing them again and again and again until Negi intervened.

Kotaru lay dazed, one arm nearly cleaved off in a single blow from Asuna.

_What is she? She was able to take on me and __**him**__ together like we were nothing. She can't be that strong._

"Kotaru-kun…" The cloaked man gasped, "I'm going to use an aura that will allow us to escape. As soon as you feel its power, run. Run as far and as fast as you can. This one is too strong."

Vigor filled the two young men and they fled.

"I'll get you!" Asuna leaped after them, but Negi grabbed her ankle and pulled her back.

"Asuna-chan, this isn't you! You have to calm down!"

"MOVE ASIDE!" Asuna roared, lashing out with her sword.

There came an agonized scream and the sound of steel rending flesh.

Negi stared down in shock at the giant sword buried in his gut, then up at the girl who held it.

"A-asuna…chan…?" Negi's vision faded as she pulled the sword out. He collapsed.

From far away, the music stopped.

At once, the aura around Asuna blew apart, restoring her senses.

"Negi-kun?" She gasped in exhaustion and fear, "Negi-kun?! Wake up! Oh god! What have I done? Negi, I'm sorry!"

Negi's eyes focused for one moment and he gasped out one sentence.

"Aishiteru, Asuna-chan…" Asuna's eyes widened as Negi's glazed over and he went limp.

"Negi? Negi! NEGI!!!"

The world was silent in Kyoto, save for a princess' cries of despair.

* * *

A.N. NO! Negi is NOT DEAD, so don't even start with me. He will be fine in a few hours, of the fanfic that is. Asuna's got a berserker problem, I know, but as the Twilight Princess, she should be able to use lunar energy. I'll explain more next chapter.

Ja ne

~Dusk Ado~


End file.
